What is a Learning Disability?
Learning Disabilities (LD) are neurological disorders that affect the brains ability to receive, process, store and respond to information.  The term learning disability is used to describe unexplained difficulty in acquiring and/or learning basic skills such as reading, writing or math. They can also interfere with higher level thinking skills such as organization, time planning, and abstract reasoning. All learning disabilities can greatly interfere with daily activities at school and in work. 

LD is not about intelligence....Learning Disabilities are found across the range of intelligence including gifted individuals.  Most individuals with LD have average to above average intelligence.  People with LD are often said to have a "hidden handicap"  because they look like everone else, but are somehow different. 

A child or adult with a learning disability cannot try harder, pay closer attention, or improve motivation on their own; they need help to learn how to do those things. People who understand the nature of their learning disabilities can develop strategies to compensate for it.  Early identification and intervention has proven to be very successful in helping individuals with learning disabilities succeed in school and fulfil their career goals.  No one's potential need be limited.  Scientists are currently studying the brain's potential for change which may hold the answer to innovative treatments and remediation for learning disabilities. 
Common Signs of LD
Official Definition of LD

Types of Learning Disabilities
There are a variety of skills impacted by learning disabilities.  These skills cover language and reasoning abilities to calculation and motor skills.  Here are some different types of learning disabilities frequently identified:

♦ Dyslexia (Specific Reading Disability) - is a learning disability characterized by problems in expressive or receptive, oral or written language.  Problems may emerge in reading, spelling, writing, speaking, or listening.  more

♦ Dysgraphia (Writing Disability) - individuals that have poor fine motor skills affecting their ability to write legibly. 

♦ Dyscalculia (Math Disability) - is a broad term for severe difficulties in math.  It includes all types of math problems ranging from inability to understand the meaning of numbers to inability to apply math principles to solve problems.  more 

♦ Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) - is a learning disability in which an individual hears sounds but cannot process them correctly into words or language.  more

♦ Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NLD) - is characterized by the impairment of nonverbal or performance-based information controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain.   more 

♦ Written Output Disorder - is characterized by poor composition skills in writing which are significantly below what is normal considering the student's age, intelligence, and education.  more

Assessment for Learning Disabilities
Any child or adult suspected of having learning disabilities should have a psycho-educational assessment to confirm this.  This assessment will determine an individual's cognitive profile and identify strengths or weaknesses in many areas of learning. These assessments may be done by your child's school or be arranged and paid for privately by a registered psychologist.

It is important, that if you suspect that your child has a learning disability, you begin an organized filing system to document his/her school progress and all communications between you and your child's school. Organized information will be important in your role as your child's advocate, as you liaise and communicate concerns with school personnel. For a psycho-educational assessment to be arranged through your child's school, quantitative data collection that measures your child's progress / challenges from year to year will be instrumental. The psycho-educational assessment will give the information needed to define the specific learning challenges/disability. Your child's assessment will be critical to ensuring your child receives the support they are entitled to and that he/she will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) developed to provide that support. This document will highlight customized accommodations and alternative learning strategies your child's teacher will use in teaching the curriculum.

Adults or children who have been officially diagnosed (by a registered psychologist) as having a learning disability will qualify for a disability supports deduction and medical expense / disability tax credits (e.g. assessment costs, tutoring expenses, etc). Check our resources  section for links to tax services/information and assessment related resources. More

Individual Education Plans
An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a written agreement between the parents and the school that outlines what the child needs educationally and what will be done to address those needs.  It is a concise and useable document which summarizes the plan for the student's educational program and must include the following:   more

More information on IEP planning is available at the BC Ministry of Education website