What are Learning Disabilities?
LEARNING DISABILITIES: WHAT, WHY AND HOW?
What is a learning disability (LD)?
A DESCRIPTION OF LEARNING DISABILITIES AND HOW THEY IMPACT LEARNING IN COLLEGE
People with learning disabilities have the cognitive ability (intelligence or aptitude) to learn information. Yet, their achievement (their performance in their coursework) is lower than expected for their ability, or they have to study more, study in different ways, or practice demonstrating the information differently from other students so that they are able to process, understand and learn the information. Some examples:
A student with an LD in reading, like dyslexia, may need to be able to listen to audio to hear the textbook spoken outloud while they are also reading with their eyes. This student may have difficulty reading instructions for a lab assignment in class without access to their audio reading option.
Some students with LD have difficulty processing auditory information, such as listening to lectures, at the speed of the speaker, although they have no difficulty understanding and learning the content. Therefore, the student may benefit from an audiorecording of the lecture to listen to it more slowly or they may benefit from a notetaking accommodation.
Learning Disabiliites (LDs) describe differences in the way we learn or process information that can impact learning in certain environments or with certain types of content or materials. An often overlooked and important feature of disabilities, in general, is that they describe a dysfunction in the interaction between the environment and a person. In terms of learning disabilities, students can typically learn the information. The problem arises when a course/classroom/method of teaching is set up in a way that makes it difficult for a person to succeed if they do not learn well in the way that things are set up. Some examples:
If a student has a slower processing speed, the student will not experience any barriers if there is no time-limit on tests.
If an instructor teaches by lecturing without any slides, images on the board, or reading materials that cover the same information, then a student who learns better by reading and visualizing information may be at a disadvantage compared to those who excel at listening and learning.
The 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress indicated that 13% of U.S. school children received disability services in the 2020-21 academic year and about one-third of them had a learning disability as their main diagnosis. The data indicated that students with learning disabilities could achieve academically at the same level as peers when given appropriate instruction and support.
National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2017). Snapshot of learning and attention issues in the U.S. Retrieved August 7, 2018, from https://ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Reading-NAEP-Data-Snapshot.pdf Links to an external site.
DEFINITION
The state of California defines a learning disability for the California Community Colleges as follows:
"Learning disability (LD) is defined as a persistent condition of presumed neurological dysfunction which may exist with other disabling conditions. The dysfunction is not explained by lack of educational opportunity, lack of proficiency in the language of instruction, or other non-neurological factors, and this dysfunction limits the student's ability to access the educational process. To be categorized as a student with a learning disability, a student must meet the following criteria through psycho-educational assessment verified by a qualified specialist certified to assess learning disabilities:
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- Average to above-average intellectual ability; and
- Statistically significant processing deficit(s); and/or
- Statistically significant aptitude-achievement discrepancies."
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(California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 56036 Links to an external site.)
Intellectual ability refers to intelligence quotient, IQ, or cognitive aptitude for intelligence associated with academic success. Processing refers to information processing and includes the neurological processes involved in learning new information; conceptualizing or thinking about information; and expressing ideas in oral or written form. An aptitude-achievement discrepancy refers to the difference between how we would predict a person should be able to perform academically based upon their cognitive aptitude or intelligence and how a person actually performs academically, such as on tests of reading, writing, or math. Learning Disabilities Specialists use standardized assessment instruments to measure each student with multiple tests in each of these areas in order to qualify them for services based upon the results.
In order for students to receive accommodations and services through Cabrillo's Accessibility Support Center (ASC), they need to have documentation of eligibility based upon a disability. (Note: The programs have different names at different California Community Colleges and many are titled the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) office.)
Students who do not have such documentation can meet with a Learning Disabilities Specialist to determine if an LD evaluation is appropriate or if there may be other paths to eligibility for services and accommodations. When a student is interested, and an LD evaluation is appropriate given their learning challenges, an LD Specialist can conduct an evaluation to determine if the student is eligible for services and accommodations based upon the definition above. See details in the section on evaluation below.