Educator Portal · Learning Disabilities Definition and Background Information

A formal definition from Bridges to Practice, National Institute for Literacy

• Learning disability is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders, manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical ability.
• These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span.
• Problems in self-regulatory behaviors, social perception and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities, but do not, by themselves, constitute a learning disability.
• Although learning disabilities may occur concomitantly with other handicapping conditions (for example, sensory impairment, mental retardation, serious emotional disturbance) or with extrinsic influences (such as cultural differences, insufficient or inappropriate instruction), they are not the result of those conditions or influences.

What does it mean?

• There are different factors that may prevent or impair a learner’s ability or progress when they are trying to listen, speak, read, write, think or do math problems.
• A learning disability in one person is usually different from a learning disability experienced by another person.
• Learning disabilities are usually caused by problems in a person’s neurological nature.
• Learning disabilities can begin in early childhood and might continue throughout the life of a person, even though improvements can be made by strategically compensating for the disabilities.
• Problems in the way a person behaves, or views the world or other people’s behaviors, might be apparent, but problematic behaviors are not considered learning disabilities.
• Learning disabilities can occur at the same time that a person experiences mental or emotional difficulties, but they are not caused by those difficulties. Certain cultural factors or earlier educational difficulties may also be influential in a person’s ability to learn or process information, but they also do not cause learning disabilities.