Learning Disability (LD)

Some of the documented and formal definitions of a learning disability are…

(National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) 1980s

“a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and presumed to be due to Central Nervous System Dysfunction. Even though a learning disability may occur concomitantly with other handicapping conditions (e.g. sensory impairment, mental retardation, social and emotional disturbance) or environmental influences (e.g. cultural differences, insufficient/inappropriate instruction, psychogenic factors) it is not the direct result of those conditions or influences.”

http://www.asha.org/policy/RP1998-00130.htm#sec1.1.1

(The 2002 LD Roundtable)

"Concept of LD: Strong converging evidence supports the validity of the concept of specific learning disabilities (SLD). This evidence is particularly impressive because it converges across different indicators and methodologies. The central concept of SLD involves disorders of learning and cognition that are intrinsic to the individual. SLD are specific in the sense that these disorders each significantly affect a relatively narrow range of academic and performance outcomes. SLD may occur in combination with other disabling conditions, but they are not due primarily to other conditions, such as mental retardation, behavioral disturbance, lack of opportunities to learn, or primary sensory deficits."

http://www.ldanatl.org/legislative/joint_activities/policyrec.asp

A learning disability is where a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner. A learning disability can vary in degree, frequency, and intensity of reported symptoms and problems. People with learning disabilities often have trouble receiving, processing, and memorizing information. When someone with LD is asked to perform a specific task or are taught in the conventional way, they often have trouble and struggle to complete the task. Dyslexia (the impairment of a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read), dysphasia (the disturbance in formulation and comprehension of language), and dyscalculia (the impairment in learning or comprehending arithmetic) are all different types of learning disabilities.

One is able to overcome their learning disability.  Cognitive and academic interventions may be used to help someone overcome their learning disability. Interventions often consist of the individual learning strategies that help them cope with and work around their learning disability. Some interventions can be quite simplistic, while others are intricate and complex. For children with learning disabilities, teachers, specialists, and parents often work as a team in regards to how they aid the individual in successfully completing different tasks. Social support from teachers and parents can improve the learning for students with learning disabilities.

There are some interventions and rules of thumb for students with learning disabilities that are widely known and used in schools today. Wait time is an effective strategy when working with students with LD. Students with learning disabilities may need more time processing information. There are reading instruction strategies and writing strategies to help students with LD succeed in school. Some of these strategies include: SCROL, SCUBA-D, and Story Charting. There are also self-regulation strategies that students can use to help keep them focused and on task. Some teacher will put a times beeper or light on the students desk, every time the sound or light goes off the student it to ask themselves, “Am I on task?” This is to get the student use to staying on task for longer periods of time.