Learning Disabilities Month: Part 2

2^nd in series:  “Smart Kids and Learning Struggles”

Yesterday’s article was about the protocol that is usually employed by teachers and parents when there is a struggling student.  

Today,  let’s get into what defines a learning disability.

A learning disability affects  the way children of AVERAGE TO ABOVE AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE receive, process, or express information.  It impacts their ability to learn  basic skills like reading, writing, or math.    As with many other disabilities, the impact on life and learning can range from mild to severe. 

 

According to the Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (CCLD), a coalition of national organizations within the learning disabilities community, a learning disability is “a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently.” 

Academically, a learning disability is measured by standardized tests, with the child scoring substantially below expectations for their age, intelligence, and education.  The most common learning disabilities are difficulty with basic reading and language skills.  

Learning disabilities are not caused by lack of educational opportunities, such as frequent changes of schools, poor school attendance, or lack of instruction in basic skills.  Many struggling students have had exceptional educational and life experiences from birth to their current age, so that is not necessarily a factor.  In fact, drawing from numerous studies determining the prime causes of learning problems in the U.S., 10% are due to poor or inadequate instruction.  5% can be linked to one or more sensory defects such as hearing or vision problems.  Up to 5% can be blamed on low motivation.  The balance, roughly 80% of learning difficulties are the direct consequence of a cognitive skill weakness. 

The next installment in this series will address the signs or symptoms that a child may have a learning disability.