Learning Disabilities & Differences
Learning disabilities and differences impact thousands of students both in our community and around the country. These are students who don’t learn in conventional ways or struggle to keep up in mainstream classrooms, but do we really understand what’s going on?
Let’s unpack what learning disabilities are, some of the most common types of learning disabilities, and an alternative approach to help build skills and confidence in kids who struggle to learn.
What Are Learning Disabilities?
Learning disorders, disabilities, and differences are neurological disorders that affect an individual’s ability to acquire, process, store, and produce information. These conditions impact how a person learns and may manifest in difficulties with reading, writing, mathematics, and other essential learning skills.
Different Classifications of Learning Disabilities, Disorders, and Differences:
Experts classify learning disabilities in a variety of different ways, from physical impairment to intellectual disabilities to educational challenges. Here are a few of the common expressions of learning disabilities and differences:
Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
This is a broad classification that essentially indicates struggles with a specific area of learning. Here are the three main categories of SLD:
- Dyslexia: Dyslexia is a common learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills. Individuals with dyslexia may have difficulty recognizing words, spelling, and decoding written language.
- Dyscalculia: Dyscalculia is a learning disability related to mathematical difficulties. Individuals with dyscalculia may struggle with understanding numbers, mathematical symbols, and basic arithmetic operations.
- Dysgraphia: Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities. Those with dysgraphia may experience challenges with handwriting, spelling, and organizing thoughts on paper.
ADHD
While ADHD is not technically a learning disability (because it doesn’t directly impact specific academic areas), it can have a huge impact on daily functioning, acquisition of knowledge, and performance in school. ADHD is primarily recognized in kids who are hyperactive or struggle with focus, but it can also look like inattention and disengagement.
Executive Dysfunction
According to ADDitude Magazine, “Executive function skills enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks. Up to 90 percent of kids with ADHD struggle with executive dysfunction, which impairs goal-directed behavior.”
This is another underlying factor that can make thriving in school extremely challenging for students. Individuals with executive dysfunction often struggle with things like:
- Planning and organization
- Setting and meeting deadlines
- Keeping up with schedules, projects, and appointments
- Time management and prioritization
- Feeling overwhelmed, distracted, and struggling with follow through
- Forgetfulness and trouble following instructions
- Retaining information in conversations or classrooms
- Impulsivity and trouble considering consequences
- Emotional regulation
- Pivoting when plans or expectations change
Processing Disorders:
While not an official diagnosis in many cases, processing disorders involve challenges in information processing, including auditory, visual, or sensory processing. These often arise when you suspect a child is struggling with hearing or vision, but these systems check out as functioning properly. Instead, there is a difference in the way the brain processes the information that comes in through these senses, and it can often result in:
- Difficulties reading, writing, spelling, or doing math
- Confusing letters and numbers
- Struggling to follow oral directions
- Trouble staying focused in busy environments
- And more.
Looking Deeper: Key Brain Skills for Effective Learning
While a diagnosis may be important to secure some support or accommodations for your child, at LearningRx we take a deeper look. Regardless of diagnosis, effective learning relies on a network of foundational cognitive skills. Rather than diagnosing or accommodating learning struggles, LearningRx takes a holistic approach by focusing on key brain skills, including:
- Memory
- Attention
- Processing Speed
- Logic and Reasoning
- Auditory and visual processing
- And more (read more here)
By targeting the skills the brain uses to process information in the first place, many clients have experienced incredible growth in their ability to read, focus, do math, and perform academically. While all outcomes are unique and every brain is different, we’d love to share more about how a cognitive approach to learning struggles may be a helpful tool for your family!
