What is A Learning Disability

What is a Learning Disability?

A Learning Disability is a problem with how the brain takes in, organizes, understands or uses information.

A learning disability:

  • Occurs in individuals with average to above average intelligence
  • Can affect:
  • Reading
  • Speaking
  • Understanding
  • Writing
  • Math
  • Organization
  • Social interaction
  • Learning disabilities are invisible disabilities (you cannot look at someone and see that they have a learning disability)
  • About 5-8% of the population has learning disabilities

    Individuals with learning disabilities can be successful:

  • When they know what is difficult for them
  • When they know what they can do well
  • When they develop appropriate skills
  • When they know what helps
  • When they ask for help and help is given

    There are other factors, besides learning disabilities, that cause children to have difficulty with learning, behaving or participating at school.
    Some of these are:

  • Feelings of frustration, anxiety, sadness or fear
  • Medical problems, feeling ill, hungry, tired
  • Problems at home or other problems with friends
  • Trouble paying attention or feeling distracted
  • Using prescriptions, drugs or alcohol What parents can do to help their child:
  • Get support for themselves when needed through community agencies and from other parents (individually or through support groups)
  • Find out about special education services available at school
  • Understand their legal rights in accessing support and accommodations for their child with learning disabilities in school
  • Participate in educational planning by:
  • getting to know the people who make the decisions
  • keeping records of reports from school, doctors, etc.
  • gathering information about learning disabilities and about your child
  • sharing their child’s strengths and interests with their school emphasizing the need to find solutions
  • involving their child: to help him/her develop self-advocacy skills
  • Understand their child’s learning disability and its effects
  • Help their child to understand his/her learning disability
  • Help their child recognize his/her strengths and areas of ability
  • Help their child build on areas of strength
  • Encourage their child's development and learning, even if it is slower than others
  • Adjust expectations for their child to take into account the nature and extent of the learning disability
  • Encourage their child to talk about difficult experiences at school or with peers
  • Be careful to give their child with learning disabilities a message that success is possible
  • Encourage practice to develop skills
  • Give genuine praise for their hard work and effort Talk to the school, community agency or family doctor:
  • if child/adolescent is being bullied
  • if the school program is not meeting his/her needs
  • if the child/adolescent needs help with homework
  • if the child/adolescent needs mental health support (because of depression, anxiety, risk of self- harm) To download this information in brochure format or to view this information in other languages, please click here.


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