Diagnosis
Learning disorder can only be diagnosed after formal education starts. To be diagnosed with a specific learning disorder, a person must meet four criteria.
1) Have difficulties in at least one of the following areas for at least six months despite targeted help:
- Difficulty reading (e.g., inaccurate, slow and only with much effort)
- Difficulty understanding the meaning of what is read
- Difficulty with spelling
- Difficulty with written expression (e.g., problems with grammar, punctuation or organization)
- Difficulty understanding number concepts, number facts or calculation
- Difficulty with mathematical reasoning (e.g., applying math concepts or solving math problems)
2) Have academic skills that are substantially below what is expected for the child’s age and cause problems in school, work or everyday activities.
3) The difficulties start during school-age even if in some people don’t experience significant problems until adulthood (when academic, work and day-to-day demands are greater).
4) Learning difficulties are not due to other conditions, such as intellectual disability, vision or hearing problems, a neurological condition (e.g., pediatric stroke), adverse conditions such as economic or environmental disadvantage, lack of instruction, or difficulties speaking/understanding the language.
A diagnosis is made through a combination of observation, interviews, family history and school reports. Neuropsychological testing may be used to help find the best way to help the individual with specific learning disorder.
Types of Learning Disorders: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia
Dyslexia is a term that refers to the difficulty with reading. People with dyslexia have difficulty connecting letters they see on a page with the sounds they make. As a result, reading becomes a slow, effortful and not a fluent process for them.
Problems in reading begin even before learning to read, for example when children have trouble breaking down spoken words into syllables and recognizing words that rhyme. Kindergarten-age children may not be able to recognize and write letters as well as their peers. People with dyslexia may have difficulty with accuracy and spelling as well. It’s a common misconception that all children with dyslexia write letters backwards or those who write letters backwards all have dyslexia.
People with dyslexia, including adolescents and adults, often try to avoid activities involving reading when they can (reading for pleasure, reading instructions). They often gravitate to other mediums such as pictures, video, or audio.
Dysgraphia is a term used to describe difficulties with putting one’s thoughts on to paper. Problems with writing can include difficulties with spelling, grammar, punctuation, and handwriting.
Dyscalculia is a term used to describe difficulties learning number related concepts or using the symbols and functions to perform math calculations. Problems with math can include difficulties with number sense, memorizing math facts, math calculations, math reasoning and math problem solving.
Learning disorder can vary in severity:
- Mild: Some difficulties with learning in one or two academic areas, but may be able to compensate
- Moderate: Significant difficulties with learning, requiring some specialized teaching and some accommodations or supportive services
- Severe: Severe difficulties with learning, affecting several academic areas and requiring ongoing intensive specialized teaching