What is a learning disorder?

A learning disorder is an information-processing problem that prevents a person from learning a skill and using it effectively. Learning disorders generally affect people of average or above average intelligence. As a result, the disorder appears as a gap between expected skills, based on age and intelligence, and academic performance.

Common learning disorders affect a child's abilities in reading, written expression, math or nonverbal skills.

Reading

Learning disorders in reading are usually based on difficulty perceiving a spoken word as a combination of distinct sounds. This can make it hard to understand how a letter or letters represent a sound and how letter combinations make a word.

Problems with working memory — the ability to hold and manipulate information in the moment — also can play a role.

Even when basic reading skills are mastered, children may have difficulty with the following skills:

• Reading at a typical pace
• Understanding what they read
• Recalling accurately what they read
• Making inferences based on their reading
• Spelling

A learning disorder in reading is usually called dyslexia, but some specialists may use the term to describe only some of the information-processing problems that can cause difficulty with reading.

Written expression

Writing requires complex visual, motor and information-processing skills. A learning disorder in written expression may cause the following:

• Slow and labor-intensive handwriting
• Handwriting that's hard to read
• Difficulty putting thoughts into writing
• Written text that's poorly organized or hard to understand
• Trouble with spelling, grammar and punctuation

Math

A learning disorder in math may cause problems with the following skills:

• Understanding how numbers work and relate to each other
• Calculating math problems
• Memorizing basic calculations
• Using math symbols
• Understanding word problems
• Organizing and recording information while solving a math problem

Nonverbal skills

A child with a learning disorder in nonverbal skills appears to develop good basic language skills and strong rote memorization skills early in childhood. Difficulties are present in visual-spatial skills, visual-motor skills, and other skills necessary in social or academic functioning.

A child with a learning disorder in nonverbal skills may have trouble with the following skills:

• Interpreting facial expressions and nonverbal cues in social interactions
• Using language appropriately in social situations
• Physical coordination
• Fine motor skills, such as writing
• Attention, planning and organizing
• Higher-level reading comprehension or written expression, usually appearing in later grade school