Health Facts on Learning Disabilities

What Is a Learning Disability?

Learning disabilities broadly encompass the disorders in which the brain of the individual is “wired” in a way different from the general population. This can result in difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, reasoning and organizing information.

Perhaps counter intuitively, persons with learning disabilities are often smarter than their peers. If identified at the right time and with support and intervention, a child with learning disabilities can successfully complete schooling. Aptitude assessment and learning disability testing can help them choose the right careers and come up well in life (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Learning disability

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Health Facts on Learning Disabilities

Statistics on Learning Disabilities

1. The incidence of learning disabilities in Indian children is estimated to be between 3-10% (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Disproportionality and Learning Disabilities: Parsing Apart Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Language
   
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2. More than half of learning disabilities are identified and diagnosed during the grades 1 to 4 (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Clinical Practice Guidelines on Assessment and Management of Specific Learning Disorders
   
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3. About 12 to 26%of students with a learning disability score average or above average in math and reading tests, as compared to 50% of their peers. About 7 to 23% of students with learning disabilities scored below average compared to 2% of their peers (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   National Institute For Health and Care Excellence Scope
   
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4. About 10% to 15% of people with learning disabilities show behaviors like injury to self and others, aggression, and destruction (5^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Toward a Theory of Childhood Learning Disorders, Hyperactivity, and Aggression
   
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5. One-third of parents of children with learning disabilities report feelings of isolation, anxiety, pessimism and even guilt, due to the condition of the child (6^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Learning Disabilities and Disorders
   
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6. Children with learning disabilities are more likely to be bullied than other children as they seem to be “different”.
7. Learning disability must not be confused with developmental delay or intellectual disability. A person with a learning disability can have a high intelligence quotient (IQ).
8. Chances of dementia are higher among persons with learning disabilities compared to their peers (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   National Institute For Health and Care Excellence Scope
   
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8. Learning disability does not have a cure. Lifelong support and intervention is required to integrate the individual into the society. Academically, they are given special concessions to get through school and university examinations (7^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   What are the treatments for learning disabilities?
   
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9. People with learning disabilities have high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts when compared to people without learning disabilities (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   National Institute For Health and Care Excellence Scope
   
   Go to source).
10. Parents can support the child with learning disabilities by encouraging their strengths, understanding their difficulties and finding ways to overcome them and focus on the right kind of help they need.
11. The diagnosis of a learning disability in a child involves a team of professionals including parent/caregiver, child’s teacher, school counselor, psychologist and pediatrician (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Clinical Practice Guidelines on Assessment and Management of Specific Learning Disorders
    
    Go to source).