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• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Related Issues
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• Genetics

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• Clinical Trials
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• Patient Handouts

Summary

What is a learning disability?

Learning disabilities are conditions that affect the ability to learn. They can cause problems with:

• Understanding what people are saying
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing
• Doing math
• Paying attention

Often, children have more than one kind of learning disability. They may also have another condition, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can make learning even more of a challenge.

What causes learning disabilities?

Learning disabilities don't have anything to do with intelligence. They are caused by differences in the brain, and they affect the way the brain processes information. These differences are usually present at birth. But there are certain factors that can play a role in the development of a learning disability, including:

• Genetics
• Environmental exposures (such as lead)
• Problems during pregnancy (such as the mother's drug use)

How do I know if my child has a learning disability?

The earlier you can find and treat a learning disability, the better. Unfortunately, learning disabilities are usually not recognized until a child is in school. If you notice that your child is struggling, talk to your child's teacher or health care provider about an evaluation for a learning disability. The evaluation may include a medical exam, a discussion of family history, and intellectual and school performance testing.

What are the treatments for learning disabilities?

The most common treatment for learning disabilities is special education. A teacher or other learning specialist can help your child learn skills by building on strengths and finding ways to make up for weaknesses. Educators may try special teaching methods, make changes to the classroom, or use technologies that can assist your child's learning needs. Some children also get help from tutors or speech or language therapists.

A child with a learning disability may struggle with low self-esteem, frustration, and other problems. Mental health professionals can help your child understand these feelings, develop coping tools, and build healthy relationships.

If your child has another condition such as ADHD, he or she will need treatment for that condition as well.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

• About Learning Disabilities (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia: Helping Kids with Learning Disorders Thrive (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Learning Disabilities (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
• Learning Disorders (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
• What Are Some Signs of Learning Disabilities? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Keeping Up in School? Identifying Learning Problems (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• How Are Learning Disabilities Diagnosed? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• What Are the Treatments for Learning Disabilities? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Gerstmann's Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• What Are Reading Disorders? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• 47,XYY syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Aarskog-Scott syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Smith-Kingsmore syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Triple X syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Estimated Prevalence of Children with Diagnosed Developmental Disabilities in the United States, 2014-2016 (National Center for Health Statistics)
• NICHD Learning Disabilities Research Information (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Dyslexia (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Learning Disabilities (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Pediatric Organ Transplantation and Learning Disabilities: A Systematic Review.
• Article: Primary care experiences of adults reporting learning disability: a probability sample...
• Learning Disabilities -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Children

• Decoding Dyslexia: Helping Kids Who Struggle with Reading (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Learning Disorders Can Make It Hard for a Child to Read, Write or Do Simple Math. Know the Symptoms and Find Out What You Can Do. (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Learning Problems (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Understanding Dyslexia (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Developmental reading disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Dysgraphia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Mathematics disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish