Learning Disabilities

If you were graded at singing, physical coordination, athletic ability, creativity, drawing ability, organization, spatial awareness, etc., how would you do on your report card?

Students who have learning disabilities often struggle with academic tasks. We need to build on their strengths so that they are successful at school.

When students are being tested for a learning disability, they are usually assessed based on the following 8 processing areas:

1. memory
2. processing speed
3. attention
4. executive functioning
5. phonological processing
6. language
7. visual-motor skills
8. visual-spatial/perceptual skills

If a child is having an issue with one (or more) of these processing skill areas, it may be a possible sign that the student has a learning disability.


Interesting facts:

- most students with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence (many are also diagnosed as gifted)
- accommodations allow these students to be successful at the curriculum
- students with learning disabilities will be strong in some subjects and when completing some tasks, while having difficulty with others