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Learning Disabilities - Definitions
The regulations for Public Law (P.L.) 101-476, the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), define a learning disability as
a "disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved
in understanding or in using spoken or written language, which may manifest
itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell
or to do mathematical calculations."
The Federal definition further states that learning disabilities include
"such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain
dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia." According to the law,
learning disabilities do not include learning problems that are primarily
the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; mental retardation;
or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. Definitions of learning
disabilities also vary among states.
Having a single term to describe this category of children with disabilities
reduces some of the confusion, but there are many conflicting theories
about what causes learning disabilities and how many there are. The label
"learning disabilities" is all-embracing; it describes a syndrome, not
a specific child with specific problems. The definition assists in classifying
children, not teaching them. Parents and teachers need to concentrate
on the individual child. They need to observe both how and how well the
child performs, to assess strengths and weaknesses, and develop ways to
help each child learn. It is important to remember that there is a high
degree of interrelationship and overlapping among the areas of learning.
Therefore, children with learning disabilities may exhibit a combination
of characteristics.
These problems may mildly, moderately, or severely impair the learning
process.
Incidence
Many different estimates of the number of children with learning disabilities
have appeared in the literature (ranging from 1% to 30% of the general
population). Differences in estimates perhaps reflect variations in the
definition. In 1987, the Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities
concluded that 5% to 10% is a reasonable estimate of the percentage of
persons affected by learning disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education
(2000) reported that, in the 1998-99 school year, over 2.8 million children
with learning disabilities received special education and related services.
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