What is a Learning Disability?
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People with learning disabilities have difficulty with reading, writing, arithmetic, memory or other ability areas related to learning. Learning disability does not mean, however, that a person is not smart. Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Edison, a great inventor, and Walt Disney all had problems reading. Most with learning disabilities have average to above average intelligence. They are very good (even exceptional) at doing some types of learning but have very difficult time in specific areas. What is happening? Why can’t they read, or write, or do math if they are so intelligent? For those with learning disabilities the brain seems to be organized in a less efficient manner for certain types of processing. For those who have difficulty reading it could mean that the information when it comes into the brain is not seen as most of us would see it. What does this mean? Sometimes when you are watching television or a movie the movement of the lips
A learning disability is a label given to people with a significant, life-long condition which has three aspects – a reduced ability to understand new or complex information or to learn new skills (impaired intelligence); a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning); and it is a condition which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on the individual’s development.
A learning disability is defined 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 despite at least average intelligence. It impedes the ability to store, process or produce information.When someone has a learning disability, it means that he or she learns differently than most people, and that learning itself is usually more difficult. A learning disability is a condition that can affect anybody, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender.
