Learning Disorders

Abstract

A specific learning disorder (LD) may be present when a child fails to develop adequate core academic skills, such as reading, writing, or calculation, despite adequate instruction and an absence of conditions that may account for the difficulties, such as intellectual disability [1]. The word “specific” in the term “specific learning disorder” indicates that the learning difficulty is not generalized; rather, it is specific to one or more core academic skills. In the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [2], LDs are regarded as neurodevelopmental disorders. As such, they involve inadequate development of academic skills, rather than representing a loss of previously acquired function. Notably, brain lesions may certainly result in cognitive deficits that affect reading, writing, and calculation, but such acquired losses of academic skills would not be classified as specific learning disorders (for a review, see Heilman and Valenstein) [3]. Most research on LDs has involved children, which are the focus of this chapter. For a review of LDs in adults, the interested reader is referred to Mapou [4]. In this chapter, we will first present a conceptual overview of LDs and types of LDs. Second, we will offer recommendations on how to assess children who present with academic skill deficits. Third, we will cover some of the fundamental mechanisms involved in LDs that have been identified in neuropsychological and imaging studies. We will conclude by mentioning some recent interventions that appear promising for remediating academic skill deficits among children with LDs.