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Did You
Know?
This
page includes a number of articles
concerning the nature and treatment of Learning Disabilities, medical and
educational information. This may be where you find out that what you have
been looking for follows a known pattern. For
more precise information on any single issue, Contact
Us or research the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO)
website at www.LDAO.on.ca , the Learning
Disabilities Association (LDAC) website at www.ldac-taac.ca Additional
resources are available in our Library, with a
list of our resources located on the Library pages on this website.
Printed photocopied information is available through our office and not
catalogued on this website. When a significant discovery has been made,
there has been a news release or a conference is in the works,
look in What's New?. This
section will always be filled with facts you should know. For
updated information on research and treatment of Learning Disabilities,
look in What's New? Contents:
(click on the following links) The
'Official' LDA Definition of Learning Disabilities Learning
Disabilities Fact Sheet The
Short Explanation
The
Short Explanation What
is a Learning Disability?
·
It is a lifelong condition
·
It is when a person has trouble
processing information
·
It is when a person has unexpected problems
in reading, math
or other areas
·
It occurs in people with average or better abilities
·
It is not a
person with low intelligence;
it is not
mental illness nor is it autism
The
Simple Answer:
Learning disabilities can affect how a person
interprets, remembers,
understands and expresses information. It’s
important to know that
people with learning disabilities are intelligent
and have abilities to learn
despite difficulties in processing
information. Living with a learning
disability can have an ongoing impact
on friendships, school, work,
self-esteem and daily life. People with
learning disabilities can succeed
when solid coping skills and strategies
are developed.
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·
"Learning Disabilities" refers
to a variety of disorders that affect the
acquisition, retention,
understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or
non-verbal
information. These disorders result from impairments in one
or more
psychological processes related to learning, in combination with
otherwise
average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning. Learning
disabilities are specific not global impairments and are distinct from
intellectual
disabilities.
·
Learning disabilities range in severity
and invariably interfere with the
acquisition and use of one or more of
the following important skills:
-
oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding)
-
reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension)
-
written language (e.g., spelling, written expression)
-
mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving)
·
Learning disabilities may also cause difficulties with
organizational skills,
social perception and social interaction.
·
The impairments are generally life-long. However, their
effects may be
expressed differently over time, depending on the match
between the demands
of the environment and the individual's
characteristics. Some impairments may
be noted during the pre-school
years, while others may not become evident until
much later.
·
During the school years, learning disabilities are suggested
by unexpectedly
low academic achievement or achievement that is
sustainable only by extremely
high levels of effort and support.
·
Learning disabilities are due to genetic, other congenital
and/or acquired
neuro-biological factors. They are not caused by factors
such as cultural or
language differences, inadequate or inappropriate
instruction, socio-economic
status or lack of motivation, although any one
of these and other factors may
compound the impact of learning
disabilities. Frequently learning disabilities
co-exist with other
conditions, including attentional, behavioural and emotional
disorders,
sensory impairments or other medical conditions.
For success, persons with learning disabilities
require specialized interventions
in home, school, community and workplace
settings, appropriate to their
individual strengths and needs, including:
·
specific skill instruction
·
the development of compensatory strategies
·
the development of self-advocacy skills
·
appropriate accommodations
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Learning
Disabilities Fact Sheet
- Learning
disabilities are a congenital neurological condition, affecting as much as 10% of the population, that impacts the lives of children,
youth and adults and affects all facets of human functioning,
including social functioning (The Lancet, February, 1990)
- There
are 2.163,000 students in Ontario’s schools, and some 95,000
(approximately 4.5%) have been identified as having learning
disabilities (Ministry of Education statistics)
- Almost
50% of adolescent suicides had previously been diagnosed as having
learning disabilities (Peck,
1985, Rourke, 1989 and numerous other studies)
- Between
30 and 70% of young offenders and inmates have experienced learning
problems (Koopman, 1983, Crealock, 1978, Ministry
of the Solicitor General, 1987 and other studies)
- 22%
of Canadians are functionally illiterate and 24% fall in the lowest
literacy level (Canadian
census figures)
- in
two US studies, 54% of one state’s welfare caseload was persons with
learning disabilities; and learning disabilities and substance abuse
were the most common problems keeping welfare clients from becoming
employed and maintaining employment (Washington
State LD Research Project, 1997 and US DOL/ETA Office of Welfare to
Work)
- and
62% of students with learning disabilities were unemployed one year
after graduation (Wagner, 1991)
- in
the USA, 18% of youth 18 or older do not complete high school; of this
group, 36% have learning disabilities (Issue
Brief, June 2002 published by the US National Center on
Secondary Education and Transition)
- in
the Grade 10 literacy tests held in February and October of 2002, the
Ontario Educational Quality Accountability Office reported that 29% of
English-language students with learning disabilities who attempted the
test, failed both the reading and writing components; of
French-language students with learning disabilities, 52% failed both
reading and writing in February, 2002 and 36% failed both in the
October, 2002 testing session
- of
post-secondary student surveyed by the Ontario Learning Opportunities
Task Force (1997-2002):
- only
8.5% had access to assistive devices such as computers, taped books
etc.;
- only
16% has access to a special education placement, either full or part
time;
- only
10.7% received any specific transition planning (and transition
planning for all exceptional students [except gifted] 14 and older
has been mandated since 1998)
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