What Are Learning Disabilities?
Learning and attention issues cover a wide range of challenges kids may face in school, at home, and in the community. These are brain-related difficulties in reading, writing, mathematics, organization, focus, listening comprehension, social skills, motor skills, or combinations of any of these. It includes all children who are struggling—whether their issues have been formally identified or not.
According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, a Learning Disability (LD) is “a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to receive, process, store and respond to information. The term “Learning Disability” is used to describe the seeming unexplained difficulty a person of at least average intelligence has in acquiring basic academic skills”. These skills are essential for success at school, at the workplace, and for coping with life in general.
Learning Disabilities (LD) usually fall into four broad categories:
• Reading and Language Processing skills
• Fine Motor and Handwriting skills
• Number and Arithmetic skills
• Reasoning – Organization and Integration of Ideas and Thoughts.
The most commonly known Learning Disabilities are Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia among others.
Learning Disabilities can vary significantly from person to person, even within the same type of Learning Disability. For example, one person with Dyslexia may struggle significantly with reading while another individual may only have problems reading in certain situations, like reading aloud. It is important to address all the disabilities that a student may have in order to get an overall improvement in the students’ ability to manage.
ADHD and Dsypraxia are not Learning Disabilities but are neurological disorders that impact the parts of the brain that help us plan, focus on, and execute tasks.