18.6: Learning Difficulties

Learning Objectives

1. Differentiate between learning disorders and learning disabilities.
2. Identify common types of learning disorders.
3. Describe the purpose and protections offered by Section 504, the ADA, and IDEA.

Learning Disorder vs. Disability

When children don’t seem to be developing or learning in the typical pattern, one might be assessed for a disorder or disability. What is a learning disorder or disability? In the next section, we’ll learn about the spectrum of disorders and how they may impact many areas of the child's life.

• A learning disorder is a classification of disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner within one of several domains. Types of learning disorders include difficulties in reading (dyslexia), mathematics (dyscalculia), and writing (dysgraphia). These disorders are diagnosed with specific criteria.
• A learning disability is a problem in a specific area or with a specific task or type of activity related to education.

Children with learning challenges are usually identified in school because this is when their academic abilities are being tested, compared, and measured. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a qualified professional will make a diagnosis, identify the causes, and develop a treatment plan for disorders and disabilities. The diagnosis of specific learning disorder was added to the DSM-5 in 2013.

The DSM does not require that a single domain of difficulty (such as reading, mathematics, or written expression) be identified; instead, it is a single diagnosis that describes a collection of potential difficulties with general academic skills, including detailed specifications for the areas of reading, mathematics, and writing. Academic performance must be below average in at least one of these fields, and the symptoms may also interfere with daily life or work. In addition, the learning difficulties cannot be attributed to other sensory, motor, developmental, or neurological disorders.⁶¹

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Children with learning challenges are usually identified in school because this is when their academic abilities are being tested, compared, and measured. Image by pan xiaozhen on Unsplash.

Summary of Learning Disabilities and Disorders

Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Summary of Learning Disabilities ¹

Disability	Difficulties	Effects
Dyslexia	Difficulty with reading	Problems reading, writing, spelling
Dyscalculia	Difficulty with math	Problems doing math problems, understanding time, using money
Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder)	Difficulty with fine motor skills	Problems with hand-eye coordination, balance manual dexterity
Dysgraphia	Difficulty with writing	Problems with handwriting, spelling, organizing ideas
Auditory Processing Disorder	Difficulty hearing difference between sounds	Problems with reading, comprehension, language
Visual Processing Disorder	Difficulty interpreting visual information	Problems with reading, math, maps, charts, symbols, pictures

Children with Disabilities: Legislation

Since the 1970s, political and social attitudes have moved increasingly toward including people with disabilities in a wide variety of “regular” activities. In the United States, the shift is clearly illustrated in the Federal legislation enacted during this time. Three major laws were passed that guaranteed the rights of persons with disabilities, and of children and students with disabilities in particular. The third law has had the biggest impact on education.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504

This law, the first of its kind, required that individuals with disabilities be accommodated in any program or activity that receives Federal funding (PL93-112, 1973). Although this law was not explicitly intended for education, in practice it has protected students' rights in some extra-curricular activities (for older students) and in some childcare or after-school care programs (for younger students). If those programs receive Federal funding of any kind, they are not allowed to exclude children or youths with disabilities, and they must find reasonable ways to accommodate the individuals' disabilities.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (or ADA)

This legislation also prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability, just as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act had done (PL 101-336, 1990). Although the ADA also applies to all people (not just to students), its provisions are more specific and “stronger” than those of Section 504. In particular, ADA extends to all employment and jobs, not just those receiving Federal funding.

It also specifically requires accommodations to be made in public facilities, such as buses, restrooms, and telephones. ADA legislation is therefore responsible for some of the “minor” renovations in schools that you may have noticed in recent years, such as wheelchair-accessible doors, ramps, and restrooms, as well as public telephones with volume controls.

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): President George H. W. Bush Signs the Americans with Disabilities Act, 07/26/1990. Image is in the public domain.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

As its name implies, this legislation was more focused on education than either Section 504 or ADA. It was first passed in 1975 and has been amended several times since, including most recently in 2004 (PL 108-446, 2004). In its current form, the law guarantees the following rights related to education for individuals with disabilities from birth to age 21.

The first two rights influence schooling in general, but the last three affect the work of classroom teachers rather directly:

• Free, appropriate education: An individual or an individual's family should not have to pay for education simply because the individual has a disability, and the educational program should be truly educational; i.e., not merely caretaking or babysitting.
• Due process: In cases of disagreements between an individual with a disability and the school or other professionals, there must be procedures for resolving the disagreements that are fair and accessible to all parties, including the individual themselves or their representative.
• Fair evaluation of performance in spite of disability: Tests or other evaluations should not assume test-taking skills that a person with a disability cannot reasonably be expected to have, such as holding a pencil, hearing or seeing questions, working quickly, or understanding and speaking orally. Evaluation procedures should be modified to allow for these differences. This provision of the law applies both to evaluations made by teachers and to school-wide or “high-stakes” testing programs.
• Education in the “least restrictive environment”: Education for individuals with disabilities should provide as many educational opportunities and options as possible, both in the short term and in the long term. In practice, this requirement has meant including students in regular classrooms and school activities whenever possible.
• An Individualized Educational Plan (IEP): Since every disability is unique, instructional planning for individuals with disabilities should also be unique or individualized. In practice, this provision has led to classroom teachers planning individualized programs jointly with other professionals (like reading specialists, psychologists, or medical personnel) as part of a team.⁷⁰

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): The special education process- evaluation, eligibility, IEP, placement, instruction, and annual review. Image by Ian Joslin is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

References, Contributors and Attributions

1. Dyspraxi by The Conversation is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

61. Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective by Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

70. Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective by Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0