Disability Resource Center

More Alike Than Different

What is a Learning Disability?

Definition:

Learning Disability is defined as a persistent condition of presumed neurological dysfunction which may exist with other disabling conditions. This dysfunction continues despite instruction in standard classroom situations. To be categorized as learning disabled, a student must exhibit:

• average to above-average intellectual ability;
• severe processing deficit(s);
• severe aptitude-achievement discrepancy(ies); and
• measured achievement in an instructional or employment setting.
  

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

• Appears conscientious and motivated, but not experiencing academic success
• Takes excessively long to complete homework assignments
• Can't complete tests or in-class assignments within the allotted time
• Experiences extreme difficulty taking notes and listening to a lecture simultaneously
• Has difficulty copying from the chalkboard; has problems lining up and copying math problems
• Reads slowly with little comprehension; may experience sensation of letters becoming scrambled; eyes wandering off the line of print; inadvertent skipping of lines
• Has more success with oral testing and assignments than the written; prefers project type assignments
• Oral language confusion, mispronounces words ('miminum' for 'minimum') and misuses words (the car is a melon rather than a lemon).

Return to the DRC Learning Skills Laboratory