Whether visually, experimental, kinesthetic, aurally, or by example, everyone learns differently. This is especially true for the estimated five to 15% of people struggling with learning disabilities.
A learning disability is an umbrella term representing an array of neurologically-based disorders in learning. People with learning disabilities process certain information in unique ways that don’t typically mesh with conventional teaching styles, which often causes difficulty reaching traditional educational milestones. Learning impairments can lead to confusion, lack of confidence and can have significant impacts on someone’s academic and professional performance. However, people with learning disabilities can achieve great academic triumphs and satisfying careers with suitable accommodations.
Types of learning disabilities
Diagnosable learning disabilities (LD) are also called Specific Learning Disorders, disorders that impede a student's ability to spell, write, listen, think, or do mathematical calculations.
While LDs affect people academically, it’s important to dispel the popular myth that learning disabilities mean someone has a low IQ. People with learning disabilities are usually of average or above-average intelligence. Also, a popular myth, ADHD and autism are not learning disabilities as they do not hinder a person’s ability to learn a specific skill set.
Though most people are diagnosed with learning disabilities in grade school, some are not diagnosed until adulthood or are never diagnosed at all. This fact may be due to the varying effects of learning disorders which can range from mild to moderate and severe. Most learning disabilities, an estimated 80 percent, affect someone’s ability to read and comprehend written words.
There are several important learning disabilities affecting millions today:
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is the most common learning disability. The disorder affects upwards of 17% of the population and causes challenges in reading and reading interpretation. Children with dyslexia may have trouble pronouncing words, adding new words to their vocabulary, and may dislike reading in general due to complications. Dyslexia ranges in severity, from mild cases, causing occasional inconvenience when reading, to severe level dyslexia which causes significant reading barriers.
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia, also known as Mathematics Learning Disorder, is a learning disability that makes math and tasks involving math more complicated. About 5 to 10 percent of people have dyscalculia. People with dyscalculia struggle with major mathematic concepts like the numeral 4 being the same as the word four or understanding speed and distance. Like dyslexia, the severity of the disorder varies.
Dysgraphia
Experts often describe dysgraphia as a disorder causing writing challenges or difficulty with a set of skills known as transcription. People with dysgraphia may write slower than their peers and may have trouble forming letters when they write.
Visual perceptual/visual motor deficit
Visual perceptual deficit refers to the way some brains process visual information. A person can experience this deficit even with 20/20 vision, as visual perceptual/visual motor deficit is neurological and not optical. People with visual perceptual deficits may have difficulty with fine motor skills and display poor hand-eye coordination.
Auditory processing disorder
Auditory processing disorder (APD) affects how the brain interprets speech. People with APD struggle to differentiate the subtle variations in other people’s words, even if they have technically perfect hearing. For example, tree may sound like free, or dog like bog, and words within sentences can scramble for them as well. Language processing disorder is a subset of auditory processing disorder and impacts both how someone interprets speech, and how they express it.
Nonverbal learning disorder
Of the lesser-known LDs is nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD), which can cause challenges with visual-spatial, motor, and social skills. Children with this disorder struggle with interpreting body language and abstract concepts. Studies show that approximately 1 in 100 people in the United States have NVLD.
Common LD obstacles
Because one of the main effects of learning disabilities is difficulty meeting traditional learning milestones, children with LDs are known to experience performance anxiety, low-self esteem, and even depression. Though learning disorders are usually diagnosed in children, LDs are not something you can “outgrow.” If you have a learning disability in youth, you have it in adulthood, though older people who no longer have to deal with school may benefit from one less daily obstacle. However, even undiagnosed LDs can have significant effects post-childhood. About 60 percent of adults with severe literacy problems have undetected or untreated learning disabilities.
In general, LDs manifests differently in children and adults. For example, instead of struggling to complete reading or math assignments, adults may avoid reading whenever possible. Poorly spelled homework may turn into misspelling in letters and emails or difficulty helping your children with school work. Adults with dyscalculia may struggle with baking recipes or budgeting. People with auditory processing disorder may have difficulty translating lectures or struggle with public speaking.
People with LDs face several obstacles in everyday life, but research illustrates the positive flip side of coming up with new and inventive ways to overcome daily roadblocks. For example, studies show people with LDs tend to be creative problem-solvers with heightened resourcefulness and typically higher levels of empathy.
Help for learning disabilities
Much can be done to reduce the barriers people with learning disabilities face. When a child or adult shows signs of a possible LD, the first and most transformative step is diagnosis. Parents may be the first to notice their child struggling, but finding resources isn’t always that simple. Fortunately, in the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children access to education best suited for their learning ability at no charge. IDEA also offers support groups for parents and education programs to explain better ways to assist children with learning disabilities.
Some adults diagnosed at a young age or who were able to discover their new skills and techniques to reduce the difficulty that arises with LD have grown comfortable with how they interact with the world around them. As for undiagnosed adults, finding resources after years of living with LD can be daunting. There are publications and sites dedicated to educating people with learning disabilities, like Learning Disabilities Association for America (LDA). And it’s not too late to be diagnosed and find help. Learning centers around the U.S. and worldwide offer adult LD diagnosis and sometimes even offer free questionnaires online. Having a learning disability is not a promise for a more difficult life but a chance to embrace different ways of thinking.
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