Learning Disabilities

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (IDEA), the term specific learning disability is defined as a specific disorder in one or more areas of psychological processes involved in understanding and using spoken or written language, which results in deficits in the ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematics. Specific learning disability, also referred to as specific learning disorder, does not include learning problems that are attributable to sensory disorders, emotional disturbance, intellectual disabilities, or cultural or economic disadvantages. Today, learning disabilities account for as much as 50% of all students receiving special education. This entry first discusses the causes of and identification of learning disabilities. It then describes the characteristics of students with learning disabilities and types of learning disabilities. Finally, it looks at instructional strategies that are thought to be effective with students with learning disabilities.

Although a single cause of a learning disability is not known, the possible causes include physiological factors (e.g., heredity, brain injury, and biochemical imbalance) and environmental factors (e.g., poor nutrition and exposure to environmental toxins, such as lead). Students with learning disabilities are a heterogeneous group, meaning that they may have problems in reading, mathematics, written language, or oral language.