A learning disability remains with an individual for life; however, many individuals develop compensatory strategies useful in managing their disabilities. With appropriate support and intervention, people with learning disabilities can achieve success in the training environment, at work, and in the community.

A learning disability is a neurobiological condition that affects the way individuals of average to above average intelligence receive, process, or express information. LD negatively impacts the ability to acquire basic skills of listening, speaking, thinking, reading, spelling, writing, and/or mathematics.

Each individual with a learning disability is unique and the disability manifests itself in varying combinations and degrees of difficulty. Often, the individual with a learning disability demonstrates uneven areas of ability and has a gap between his/her potential and actual achievement.

The terms learning disabilities, learning differences, learning difficulties, learning preferences and learning styles are sometimes used interchangeably although their meanings are quite different. For purposes of this guide, the term learning disabilities applies to those individuals who have met the qualification standard stated in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and will not be used interchangeably with the other terms.

Learning Differences

The term learning differences refers to the differences in the way individuals learn. Some professionals and parents prefer the use of this term to avoid labeling their child as having a LD; however, the use of this term provides no legal benefit for the individual. In actuality, the term learning differences more closely relates to learning preferences or styles.

Dr. Mel Levine, pediatrician and author of A Mind at a Time, says that we are all wired a little differently; that we all have differences in our brain circuitry and as a result, each person possesses unique and individual strengths and weaknesses. He states:

 "Each of us is endowed with a highly complex, inborn circuitry-creating innumerable branching pathways of options and obstacles. While some of us have brains that are wired to handle a lot of information at one time, others have brains that can absorb and process only a little information at a time (often with greater accuracy). . .

. . . So it is that we all live with minds wired to excel in one area and crash in another. Hopefully, we discover and engage in good matches between our kind of mind and our pursuits in life." ¹

Learning Difficulties

A student who has difficulty mastering a particular task or skill does not necessarily have LD; instead, they may have a learning difficulty, which can be overcome with appropriate instruction and/or adaptations. Learning difficulties may be present as a result of many factors from cultural to environmental to vision, hearing, or other health problems.

The recognition of learning difficulties ultimately may lead to the identification of LD. In those incidences that it does not, it does usually indicate the need for modifications to the curriculum and/or instructional method including the use of learning strategies specific to the needs of the individual.

Learning Preferences and Styles

Learning preferences and learning styles refer to an individual's preferred mode(s) of learning—how he/she prefers to take in and send out information.  We prefer to see and experience things in life and learning in ways that make the most sense to us.  It is our individual perceptions that define how we think, what is importance to us, and how we prefer to learn, i.e., our learning style.  This does not mean that individuals cannot or do not learn by other methodologies—it simply means that there is a style of learning that they prefer or that they feel they learn better with over other modes of instruction.

Although there are differing models and opinions regarding learning style theory, the most commonly referenced types of learning styles are:

1. Auditory learners learn best by hearing the material
2. Visual learners learn best by seeing the material
3. Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing

Ideally, we each learn effectively using a combination of these styles regardless of our preferences.  However, for students struggling to acquire or master a skill, the use of instructional strategies appropriate to their style preferences aides them in drawing upon their strengths to improve or overcome weaker skill areas. The use of learning styles to guide instruction requires careful monitoring of a student's progress and learning effectiveness so that adjustments can be made as appropriate.

Inventories and style indicators are only useful as guides; their true reliability and benefit can only be determined through continual evaluation of a student's performance. Remember the intent of identifying learning styles or preferences is to enable a student to intake and output information in ways that are most comfortable and successful for him/her.  Learning style or preference inventories:

• Do not determine a particular student's academic strengths.  This assessment is done through testing and carefully evaluating a student's proficiency and progress in various skill and content areas.
•  Should not be the only mode of instruction presented to the student. S tudents need to be counseled carefully and responsibly about learning style inventories so that they understand it is not the only mode in which they can learn.

WHAT CAUSES LEARNING DISABILITIES?

New evidence suggests that most LD do not stem from a single specific area of the brain, but from difficulties in bringing together information from various brain regions. "Students with LD are not dumb. They, as each one of us, simply have areas of weak brain function. The difference is that their particular weaknesses stand in the way of their learning, especially in traditional classroom settings." ¹

Possible causes of LD include:

• Heredity/genetics
• Problems during pregnancy and childbirth
• Substance abuse
• Toxins

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF LEARNING DISABILITIES?

The criteria and characteristics for diagnosing LD appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR).  Learning disabilities can be divided into three broad categories:

• Developmental Speech and Language Disorders—Individuals with developmental speech and language disorders have difficulty producing speech sounds, using spoken language to communicate, or understanding what other people say.
• Academic Skills Disorders—Students with academic skills disorders are often years behind their peers in developing reading, writing, or math skills.
• Other Learning Disabilities (a catch-all that includes certain coordination disorders and LD not covered by the other terms)—The DSM also lists additional categories, such as "motor skills disorders" and "specific developmental disorders, not otherwise specified." These diagnoses include delays in acquiring language, academic, and motor skills that can affect the ability to learn, but do not meet the criteria for a specific LD. Also included are coordination disorders that can lead to poor penmanship, as well as certain spelling and memory disorders.

The following list describes some of the more common types of LD:

LEARNING DISABILITIES AND INTELLIGENCE

To be intelligent is to have the ability to understand, to learn, and to use what you learn and understand. There are many different ways to be intelligent or smart. As adults, we typically select areas of study or work that we enjoy, have an interest, or are proficient and avoid careers and hobbies that involve skills and knowledge in areas of less interest or proficiency. We do not have to be experts in all areas in order to be considered intelligent or successful; likewise, a student does not need to be an expert in every area to be considered intelligent or successful.

Many students with LD do not believe that they are intelligent, instead, they often feel inadequate or dumb. These feelings of inadequacy can and do impact a student's success, not only in school, but in employment and social situations as well. All too often, these students are misunderstood by teachers, employers, and sometimes, even by their own families. Frequently, those in support roles and even the students themselves have little or no insight into the reasons why they are failing or how to manage their difficulties.

SYMPTOMS OF LEARNING DISABILITIES

Individuals with LD exhibit a wide range of symptoms that can cause difficulties in the areas of reading, math, comprehension, writing, spoken language, and/or reasoning abilities. Hyperactivity, inattention and perceptual coordination also may be associated with LD but are not learning disabilities themselves.

Possible indicators of a learning disability include the following:

• Ability does not match achievement whether in academic areas, in functional behaviors, or in employment outcomes
• Seems bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level
• Easily frustrated and emotional about school, reading, or testing
• Feels dumb, has poor self-esteem, and/or hides or covers up weaknesses (e.g., acts out in class with negative behaviors or is the class clown)
• Seems to "zone out" or daydream often
• Tests well orally but not in written format

When considering symptoms related to LD, remember:

• No one has all of the symptoms.
• Some symptoms are more common than others.
• Everyone has at least two or three LD symptoms to some degree.
• Learning difficulties are not the same as LD. Are the symptoms chronic and not diminished or alleviated with appropriate instruction?
• Learning disabilities do not manifest themselves in individuals in exactly the same way and can range from mild to severe.
• Learning disabilities can present differently from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. These changes can pose new challenges or issues for the individual and may require different interventions or accommodations.

¹Levine, Dr. Mel, Director for the Center for Development and Learning, University of North Carolina. Medical School, All Kinds of Minds, Simon & Schuster: New York, 2002, p. 23.