Learning Disabilities
What are learning disabilities?
Learning disability is a general term that describes specific kinds of
learning problems. A learning disability can cause a person to have trouble
learning and using certain skills. The skills most often affected are:
- reading,
- writing,
- listening,
- speaking,
- reasoning, and
- doing math.
Learning disabilities (LD) vary from person to person. One person with
learning disabilities may
not have the same kind of learning problems as another person with learning
disabilities. One person may have trouble with reading and writing. Another person with
learning disabilities
may have problems with understanding math. Still another person may have trouble
in each of these areas, as well as with understanding what people are saying.
Researchers think that learning disabilities are caused by differences in how
a person's brain works and how it processes information. Children with learning
disabilities are not "dumb" or "lazy." In fact, they usually have average or
above average intelligence. Their brains just process information differently.
The definition of "learning disability" just below comes from the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA is the federal law that guides
how schools provide special education and related services to children with
disabilities.
There is no "cure" for learning disabilities. They are life-long. However,
children with learning disabilities can be high achievers and can be taught ways to get around the
learning disability. With the right help, children with learning disabilities can and do learn
successfully.
IDEA's Definition of "Learning Disability"
Our nation's special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, defines a specific learning disability as . . .
". . . a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes
involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may
manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read,
write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as
perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia,
and developmental aphasia."
However, learning disabilities do not include, "...learning problems that
are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of
mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural,
or economic disadvantage." 34 Code of Federal Regulations §300.7(c)(10)
Next: How common are learning disabilities? »
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