What are Learning Disorders?
“Specific Learning Disorder” refers to a group of biologically-based neurodevelopmental problems in which a child of normal intellectual potential has unusual difficulty with their academic functioning that cannot be explained by poor or limited educational opportunities, emotional disabilities, or sensory deficits. The terms “Specific Learning Disorder”, used in clinical practice, and “Specific Learning Disability”, used in the public education system for eligibility for special education services, are essentially interchangeable.
Children with specific learning disorders typically experience difficulties in one or more aspects of their academic functioning, such as slow and effortful word reading, difficulty with comprehension of written passages, spelling problems, poor written expression, difficulties with calculation and “number sense”, and poor mathematical reasoning, among others. The defining characteristic of Specific Learning Disorders is that they represent academic functioning that is significantly below the level expected from a given individual, based on their cognitive ability and educational exposure, and that these difficulties significantly interfere with academic or occupational performance.
Specific Learning Disorders fall in three categories: impairment in reading, impairment in written expression, and impairment in mathematics, with impairment in reading being considerably more common. “Dyslexia” is an alternative term for Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in reading, and denotes a pattern of learning difficulties involving problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor word decoding, and poor spelling abilities.
Treatment for Learning Disorders
Treatment or remediation for specific learning disorders begins with a specialized evaluation of an individual’s particular academic strengths and weaknesses. CEH offers comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations for school-aged children experiencing a wide variety of academic difficulties, as well as adults with academic concerns. CEH psychoeducational reports provide diagnostic information as well as practical recommendations for educational personnel and parents in how best to address individual academic needs, and can be used to help determine eligibility for special education services or other supports, for developing individual education plans (IEPs), and more. For more information, please visit our Psychoeducational Evaluations page.
Treatment for specific learning disorders can be delivered by public or private schools, educational specialists, tutors, and/or other educational professionals, depending on the nature and scope of the academic difficulties. Some needs can be addressed privately through tutors or individual work with educational specialists. Approaches employed by schools can range from accomodations in the regular classroom to special education services or even placement in specialized schools. CEH regularly provides consultative services to school districts and independent clinicians in how best to meet particular individuals’ educational needs.