In this Article

• What are learning disabilities?
• How common are learning disabilities?
• What are the signs of a learning disability?
• What about school and learning disabilities?
• Tips for parents of children with learning disabilities
• Tips for teachers of children with learning disabilities
• Is there any treatment for learning disabilities?
• What is the prognosis for learning disabilities?
• What research is being done for learning disabilities?
• For more information
• Learning Disability Glossary
• Learning Disability Index

How common are learning disabilities?

Very common! As many as 1 out of every 5 people in the United States has a learning disability. Almost 3 million children (ages 6 through 21) have some form of a learning disability and receive special education in school. In fact, over half of all children who receive special education have a learning disability (Twenty-fourth Annual Report to Congress, U.S. Department of Education, 2002).

What are the signs of a learning disability?

There is no one sign that shows a person has a learning disability. Experts look for a noticeable difference between how well a child does in school and how well he or she could do, given his or her intelligence or ability. There are also certain clues that may mean a child has a learning disability. We've listed a few below. Most relate to elementary school tasks, because learning disabilities tend to be identified in elementary school. A child probably won't show all of these signs, or even most of them. However, if a child shows a number of these problems, then parents and the teacher should consider the possibility that the child has a learning disability.

When a child has a learning disability, he or she:

• may have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds;
  
  
• may make many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeat and pause often;
  
  
• may not understand what he or she reads;
  
  
• may have real trouble with spelling;
  
  
• may have very messy handwriting or hold a pencil awkwardly;
  
  
• may struggle to express ideas in writing;
  
  
• may learn language late and have a limited vocabulary;
  
  
• may have trouble remembering the sounds that letters make or hearing slight differences between words;
  
  
• may have trouble understanding jokes, comic strips, and sarcasm;
  
  
• may have trouble following directions;
  
  
• may mispronounce words or use a wrong word that sounds similar;
  
  
• may have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or not be able to think of the word he or she needs for writing or conversation;
  
  
• may not follow the social rules of conversation, such as taking turns, and may stand too close to the listener;
  
  
• may confuse math symbols and misread numbers;
  
  
• may not be able to retell a story in order (what happened first, second, third); or
  
  
• may not know where to begin a task or how to go on from there.

If a child has unexpected problems learning to read, write, listen, speak, or do math, then teachers and parents may want to investigate more. The same is true if the child is struggling to do any one of these skills. The child may need to be evaluated to see if he or she has a learning disability.

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