


	ESE424 : The Class : Mild Disabilities : Learning disability : What

What is a Learning Disability?

This first topic about learning disabilities is divided into the following content areas and subtropics:

Definitions of learning disabilities

Frequently used definitions

Common factors across definitions

The types of learning disabilities

Prevalence information

general prevalence

gender differences

racial differences

Learning disabilities as a lifelong condition

Myths and misconceptions about learning disabiliites

Definitions of Learning Disabilities.

As you are aware from reading your textbook, IDEA has a very specific definition of what is considered a "specific learning disability."

a specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more areas of the basic psychological processes involved in learning and understanding language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include children who have learning problems which are the primary result of visual, hearing or motor handicaps, or mental retardation, or emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage." (IDEA 300.7, a, 2, (10))

Obviouisly, as a school district staff member, this is the definition you will be responsible for implementing. However, you need to be aware that the IDEA definition is only one of several that are commonly used in educational, community, or vocational settings. After reading these, it should come as no surprise that a particular child may have a learning disability in one situation and not in another.

Other commonly used definitions of learning disabilities

Common Elements across definitions

Most if not all of the major definitions share 3 common elements:

Click on each box for more information

Elements in many definitions

Beyond these three elements, several of the definitions contain the following 2 types of variables:

language component

academic component

Many profiessionals have found that the basic definition does not provide individual states or school districts within states with specific cut off points for determining if a child's scores on standardized testing is sufficiently different from the norm to justify placement in a special education programs. Each district must further define components of the IDEA definition to allow their diagnostic staff to make these types of decisions in a more objective and scientific manner.

Let's look at one state and one school district guidelines for determining a learning disability. Notice how much more detailed these are when compared with the federal definition.

A State Definition of Learning Disabilities

District Guidelines for Learning Disabilities

Types of Learning Disabilities.

In addition to the generic definition of learning disabilities, there are many subtypes. Here are some of the more commonly identified types of learning disabilities:

Dyslexia

Dyscalculia

Non-verbal Learning Disorders (NLD)

Auditory Processing (discrimination, figure-ground, sequencing)

Visual Perception (figure-ground, sequencing, discrimination, depth perception)

Speech & Language (dysnomia)

Organizational

Motor (dyspraxia)

Social Skills

Types of Learning Disabilities

You may also hear people talk about the learning disabilities by some of the effects of the condition. Some of the terms you see below may still be used to describe children with learning disabilities. They are better thought of as terms that describe some of the effects of the disability or as co-occurring conditions (aphasia).

Prevalence of Learning Disabilities.

The United States Department of Education estimates that about 4% of all school aged children have a learning disability. The category of learning disabilites represent 51% of all children receiving services for special education in public schools.

Real Audio Clip on Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities throughout the school years.

Given this figure, you might expect to randomly choose any classroom and find about 1 child with a learning disability in that room. This is not, in fact what you will find. The actual number of children identified as having an LD varies across different age groups. Look at the chart below from the United States Department of Education.

Why might you find this variation across ages? Do learning disabilities fade out as a child reaches high school? Are there no learning disabilities before the ages of 6? These are all good questions and ones that we do not have clear cut answers It is likely that there are several factors working in combination that produce a picture like the one above. Here are some of the more plausible explanations for this variance in learning disabilities across age groups:

Trend 1: No learning disabilties before the age of 6

learning disabilities is not a formal diagnostic category in preschool or kindergarten programs. Therefore, no children are identified as LD during that time. Children are typically identified as developmentally delayed or go through their preschool years unidentified

Trend 2: An increasing slope from age 6 to 12-13

as you heard in the audio clip, most children with a learning disability are identified by third grade. Most likely this is a result of an increasing complexity of the curriculum, the need for more advanced reading skills (a problem for the vast majority of children with learning disabilities) and the increasing demands for independent working skills and behaviors as children progress in school.

Trend 3: An overall decrease in the number of children from ages 13-21.

Three factors could be operating here. First, children with learning disabilities have a higher dropout rate than the general population. Second, many children, particularly in adolsecence may choose not to be identified as having a learning disability. The third factor is more optimistic: Special education services may be helping children to cope with their learning disability to the extent that they no longer need specialized services.

Trend 4: Few children served from ages 19-21

This is probably a result of many children graduating or choosing to enter the field of work rather than use their final 2-3 years of eligibility for special education services.

Learning disabilities by gender and ethnicity

The incidence of learning disabilities is also modulated by the child's gender and their ethnicity.

Learning Disabilities as a Lifelong Condition

When I was in my teacher preparation program, learning disabilites was a fairly new diagostic category. I can remember being told that "learning disabilities is an educational disability." I grew in my profession believing that children with learning disabilities did not have difficulty in adult life. Somehow the disability went away or was minimized when the child was not in school. If I had given it some thought, I would have realized that this could not possibly be true. All one has to do is look at the outcome data for special education to see that the effects of a learning disability continue to be present across the life span. Click on each of the links below to learn more about how learning disabilities are present across age ranges.

Given that the effects of a learning disability are progressively more visible throughout a persons life, how can we begin intervention early enough to make a difference? We must be sensitive to early warning signs. Click the links below to learn what to look for.

Warning Signs

First Signs of Trouble

Myths and Misconceptions

As you may well imagine, especially after attempting to formulate your own definition, there are a significant number of myths and misconceptions about learning disabilities. Let's begin examing these by having you take a short quiz. Click on the link below to begin.

Myths Quiz

How did you do? Were you able to identify the myths from the realities? Now that you have seen some of the myths, allow me to send you to another page that will fill in some more information about various commonly held myths about learning disabilities. Click on the link below to visit this site.

Myths and Misconceptions

As you can now see, we have a lot of work to do to in educating the lay public about learning disabilities (as with disabilities in general). These myths negatively effect other people's perceptions of the person with a learning disability, disrupt attempts to help children with learning disabilities, and introduce stress and anxiety into the lives of persons with a learning disability. We must begin to counteract this misinformation.

Once you have finished you should:

Go on to Learning Disabilities from a Personal Perspective
or
Go back to Learning Disabilities

E-mail Larry Gallagher at Larry.Gallagher@nau.edu