You may wonder why different professionals come to different conclusions about whether or not your child has a specific learning disability (SLD). Why did the private assessment results say that your child has a learning disorder, but the public school disagreed?

What is a learning disability?

A learning disability affects the way kids receive, process, or express information and lasts throughout life. It can make learning how to read, write, do math, or other skills more challenging.

The , a national nonprofit organization that provides education and information aligned to current research and best practices for people with learning disabilities, defines SLD as 鈥渘eurological disabilities that affect information processing. They may affect how a person learns, understands, communicates, and remembers information.鈥�

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — Fifth Edition (DSM-V), used by psychologists and medical doctors, doesn’t list “learning disability,” but instead describes Specific Learning Disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder that is 鈥渃haracterized by a persistent impairment in at least one of three major areas: reading, written expression, and/or math.鈥�

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law that provides for special education, defines “specific learning disability” as a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language. Skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and/or mathematics may be negatively affected.

What a learning disability is not

  • Attention disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)聽and executive functioning challenges and learning disabilities often occur at the same time, but they’re not the same.
  • Learning disabilities are not the same as intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), autism, hearing or visual impairment, physical disabilities, emotional disorders, or the normal process of learning a second language.
  • Learning disabilities aren’t caused by lack of educational opportunities, such as frequent changes of schools, poor school attendance, or lack of instruction in basic skills.

What should you look for?

Most kids struggle in school at one time or another. Some are challenged by a specific subject while others have trouble learning through certain styles of teaching. Sometimes students with learning disabilities are thought to have a lack of motivation, immaturity, or behavior problems. But if your child has significant ongoing problems with the skills involved with reading, writing, or arithmetic, then they may have a learning disability.

Because each child has a unique set of strengths and needs, you’ll want to talk with the teacher, other school staff, family members, and your child to get their input. As you think about the following factors, ask yourself — and others — if your child has shown these characteristics to a greater degree than what is considered typical for their age, over a period of time, and in different environments, e.g., school, home, child care settings, community.

Preschool

  • Speaks later than most kids
  • Is unable to find the right word when carrying on a conversation
  • Relies on nonspecific words such as “stuff” or “something”
  • Can’t rapidly name words in a specific category
  • Has difficulty rhyming
  • Struggles to recite sequences accurately, such as the alphabet, days of the week, or nursery rhymes
  • Has trouble recognizing and naming letters of the alphabet, shapes, numbers, and numerals
  • Has difficulty following directions or routines that have multiple steps

Grades K-4

  • Is slow to learn the connections between letters and sounds
  • Can’t blend sounds to make words
  • Makes consistent reading and spelling errors
  • Has problems remembering sequences and telling time
  • Has difficulty counting aloud accurately, often skipping numbers or saying them in the wrong order.
  • Is challenged by identifying, forming, or copying patterns
  • Has difficulty planning
  • Mixes up the sounds within longer words, for example, saying “mazagine” instead of “magazine” or “cimmanom” instead of “cinnamon.”

Grades 5-8

  • Is slow to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other reading strategies
  • Avoids reading aloud
  • Has difficulty with word problems in math.
  • Spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing
  • Avoids reading and writing tasks
  • Has difficulty remembering or understanding what they have read
  • Works slowly
  • Has difficulty understanding and/or generalizing concepts
  • Misreads directions and information

Assessment for SLD

If you suspect that your child may have SLD, consult with their teacher and other school staff to decide next steps. A prereferral support team聽may be one option.

Remember that if your child’s academic performance is impacted, the public school is obligated to assess your child to see if they have a disability and needs special education services to benefit from their general education program. This is true whether they attend a public or private school. The public school is not legally required to provide a diagnosis, give you more information for your child’s tutor, or qualify your child for extra time on college entrance exams.

Under law, a specific learning disability must be identified by a group of professionals from different fields, a multidisciplinary team, who has assessed your child. While public schools must consider reports you obtained privately, they have the right to assess your child before making any decisions.

Following assessment, the public school team will meet with you to discuss the results and decide if your child is eligible for special education services at the public school. Whether or not your child is eligible, evaluation results can be used to plan your child’s educational program, help your child understand their learning disabilities, and find ways to be successful.

What can you do?

With the right support and interventions, your child can succeed in school and thrive in life. You can help in the following ways:

  • Speak with your child openly and acknowledge the learning difficulties.
  • Remind them that having a different way of learning doesn鈥檛 make them less intelligent than others.
  • Identify your child’s strengths and talents, and encourage your child to develop them.
  • Coach your child on strategies that will help them through their learning challenges.
  • Teach your child to understand their own needs and advocate for them.
  • Support your child’s efforts to succeed.
  • Be available to help with homework.
  • Set realistic goals and expectations.
  • Work collaboratively with school staff.
  • Understand the educational system.
  • Listen to your child when they want to talk.
  • Celebrate your child’s special qualities and contributions.

Additional resources

  • from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)
  • from the National Center for Learning Disabilities
  • from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Updated August 2024