Learning Disability

What is a learning disability?

According to the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO) “Learning Disabilities” refers to a variety of disorders that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding, organisation or use of verbal and/or non-verbal information. These disorders result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning, in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning. Learning disabilities are specific not global impairments and as such are distinct from intellectual disabilities".

Learning disabilities range in severity and often interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skill areas:

• oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding)

• reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension)

• written language (e.g., spelling, written expression)

• mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving)

Learning disabilities may also often cause difficulties with organisational skills, social perception and social interaction.

Retrieved from: Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario