Learning Disabilities

A learning disability is a neurological condition that interferes with an individual’s ability to store, process, or produce information. Learning disabilities can affect one’s ability to read, write, speak, spell, compute math, reason and also affect an individual’s attention, memory, coordination, social skills and emotional maturity. A few common learning disabilities:

• Dyslexia

  • Individuals struggle to identify speech sounds and their relation to letters and words [decode]

  • 1 in 5 people are affected

  • Celebrities with dyslexia: Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Anderson Cooper, Tim Tebow, Keira Knightley

  • Dyslexia Simulation

• Auditory Processing Disorder

  • Stems from a disconnect between how sounds are heard and how they are processed due to an issue in the central nervous system

  • Individuals find it difficult to identify the origin of noises and block out background noises

  • Individuals best perform in quiet environments

  • 2 - 7% of US children are diagnosed

• Dysgraphia

  • Motor and processing weakness

  • Characteristics: illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling (confuse p & j and b & d), and difficulty composing writing

  • Not many studies about dysgraphia, but estimated at 5-20% of all students having some type of writing deficit

Learning disabilities incredibly common in the population Teachers should accommodate the students' needs through providing different materials, alternative assignments, access to an aide, etc. Remember to always be a supportive and understanding peer.

Organizations:

• • Learning Ally: Individuals can help produce audio books.

  • Be My Eyes: Sighted individuals can be a sighted volunteer to help guide a blind or low-vision.