Learning Disabilities

 Students with LDs also fall under the majority (high-incidence disabilities) of students receiving special education services. 

1. Characteristics:

• significant discrepancy between potential and achievement
• trouble focusing during class
• impulsive and immature social skills
• poor motivations
• overreliance on teachers and peers
• poor language and cognitive development
• delays in learning- reading, math, or both
• disorganized approach to learning
• memory, cognitive and metacognitive problems
• disorders of hyperactivity and attention
• perceptual, perceptual-motor, and general coordination problems

2. IDEA Definition

"a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, speak, read, write etc... The tern includes such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia."  

3. So What Does that Really Mean?

• IQ within normal range
• significant discrepancy between academic achievement and expected potential
• not caused by other factors such as: cultural differences, ed. opportunities, poverty, other disabilities
• intrinsic to the individual involving central nervous system, processing info., ability to learn 

4. Possible Assessments for Learning Disabilities:

• standardized achievement tests
• informal reading inventories
• formative evaluation
• authentic assessment 

Source: 1999 Allyn & Bacon