Learning Disabilities

Learning Disability

The term "Learning Disability" is sometimes confusing because it can have different meanings in different settings. It can be a controversial subject, especially when funding for special education services is an issue. A Learning Disability (LD) is basically a serious weakness in a person's ability to learn. Everyone's profile of abilities includes strengths and weaknesses. Some people's weaknesses cause a great deal of interference in learning. The interference may come in reading, math, writing, or other learning activities. Some learning weaknesses may cause difficulties in understanding social situations. Psychological testing can show the child's profile of strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses are usually thought to be caused by problems in the way the brain processes information.

When does a learning weakness become a Learning Disability? This is a surprisingly complex question, and has been the subject of federal and state laws and the cause of extensive bureaucratic procedures within local school systems. It has also been the subject of considerable scientific research. A "disability" is a serious weakness that is impairing a person's life in very significant way. When we think of the term "disability" the first things that come to mind may be inability to see, hear, or walk. We might not immediately think of inability to read, but this can impair a person's life severely.

Most school systems define learning disabilities restrictively, and have strict guidelines of test scores which a child must have in order to be "coded" as Learning Disabled. When a child is coded, he/she is eligible for special education services. Within the school system, there can sometimes be other routes to help, such as a "Section 504 plan" or "non-handicapped resource help."

Sometimes children with learning weaknesses are not identified, because they compensate so well for the things they have trouble doing. People naturally try to use their strengths to compensate or make up for the interference caused by weakness. For example, some people become confused and disorganized when they try to read a whole page of text. They may discover on their own to put a "mask" on the page that exposes only a part of the page, so that they can read comfortably. Other people develop skills in typing to compensate for weaknesses in handwriting. Another example of compensation is wearing glasses to correct a vision problem. Sometimes people can cope with weaknesses by avoiding certain activities. A person whose perceptual-motor skills are very weak may avoid sports. Unfortunately, avoidance can cause a weakness to become weaker. The desire to avoid difficult or embarrassing experiences can become influenced by anxiety. When this happens, it can be difficult to determine how much avoidance is caused by weakness and how much is caused by anxiety itself.

Some children work so hard to compensate for learning weaknesses that they become emotionally drained, anxious, or irritable. They may show behavior problems at home, where they feel safer to "let it all hang out" than at school. It may then be necessary to identify and help the learning problems before the behavior problems can improve.

Evaluation for learning disability should allow the psychologist to get to know a child personally, not just through test scores. The child's personality and inner life -- how he feels about himself and his life -- are just as important as the numbers that attempt to describe his intellectual or academic functioning. Thus interviewing and personality assessment are critical part of the evaluation. Parents should also expect a feedback session to review the evaluation report carefully, and to discuss the recommendations. Evaluation may have to include other professionals, such as Language specialists or Occupational Therapists, so that all aspects of learning can be included.