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3.5: Prevalence of Learning Disabilities

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    Among students receiving special education services, 33% are identified as having a specific learning disability, the most common category of disability (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). However, the number of students identified as having a specific learning disability has decreased over time. This may be due to better mechanisms for identifying students with learning disabilities and other categories of disabilities (e.g., RTI/MTSS), as well as a focus on early childhood interventions (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014; Lerner & Johns, 2015).

    In 2022, 42% of students who received special education services for specific learning disabilities were female, and 31% were male (NCES, 2022). This contrasts with the historical trend of males as the predominant gender identified with learning disabilities (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014). Changes in this trend may be due to reduced bias regarding special education referrals for male students. 

    National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Students with disabilities. Condition of education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg.

    Cortiella, C., & Horowitz, S.H. (2014). The state of learning disabilities: Facts, trends and emerging issues. National Center for Learning Disabilities. 

    Lerner, J., & Johns, B. (2015). Learning disabilities and related disabilities (13th ed.). Cengage Learning.

    This page titled 3.5: Prevalence of Learning Disabilities is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Diana Zaleski (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI)) .