Learning Disabilities

Earlier we mentioned that some people who have ADD or ADHD have problems learning but that not all of them have a learning disability. Other conditions can cause you to appear to have LD when a different problem is the basic, or primary, trouble. These conditions include:

Physical problems of any kind, including problems with hearing and vision. Do you have a problem that can be treated, and if so, will the learning problem go away or at least be lessened?

Emotional problems. Are you feeling sad or angry or behaving in some way that is not acceptable?

Family, school, and social problems. You may have a problem learning because of family and personal conditions. Do you have a problem learning or a true learning disability?

Sorting out a learning disability from any of the above is not easy. The last problem is one of the hardest to define. It includes all sorts of personal and family problems including alcoholism, abuse, illness, neglect, and many others. It also includes poor teaching, or at least teaching that did not match the way a child learns best.

Carlos has difficulty learning but is not learning disabled. He has a problem learning because of his family's lifestyle and the way he has dealt with it.

Carlos's family constantly moved from place to place when he was little. The family didn't have many belongings and owned very few books. Heavy books added to the cost of moving, and no one read much anyway. During first through fifth grades, Carlos attended nine different schools. Although his family wanted Carlos to learn and always enrolled him in school as soon as they found a place to live, he missed so many days that he did not learn to read very well. Finally he became so frustrated that he gave up and quit trying to read.

Finally, in the ninth grade, a sympathetic teacher realized why Carlos was having such problems read ing. She talked him into working with her after school. With extra help Carlos soon began to learn to read and write better.

Although Carlos had serious problems with reading, he did not have a learning disability. His learning difficulties were caused by a family problem—constantly moving. However, unlike Carlos, many young people with similar problems are assessed and show a learning disability. Let's talk about how they can succeed.