THE BASICS
What is a learning disability?
A learning disability is a neurodevelopmental difference that makes it persistently harder to learn and use specific academic skills, even with good teaching and real effort. In Ontario, schools use the Ministry of Education's definition, which describes a learning disability as affecting how information is processed in a student whose intellectual abilities are at least in the average range, with achievement that is lower than expected or reached only with extreme effort or extra support.
Learning disabilities are lifelong, but they are not a ceiling. With early identification, effective instruction, and the right accommodations, students with learning disabilities succeed in school, post-secondary education, and their careers.
Reading (dyslexia)
Difficulty with accurate or fluent word reading and spelling, usually rooted in phonological processing.
Written expression
Difficulty with spelling, grammar, organizing ideas, or handwriting, sometimes called dysgraphia.
Mathematics (dyscalculia)
Difficulty with number sense, learning math facts, calculating fluently, and math reasoning.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Signs at different ages
Early signs often appear before formal schooling begins. Many bright students compensate for years, and their difficulties only become visible when the workload increases.
01
Sounds and letters
In preschool and kindergarten, trouble with rhyming, letter names, and the sounds letters make.
02
Early numbers
Difficulty learning to count, recognize numbers, or compare quantities.
03
Slow, effortful reading
In the primary grades, guessing from pictures or first letters instead of decoding.
04
Spelling that does not match sounds
Inconsistent spelling, and avoiding reading aloud or reading for pleasure.
05
Writing weaker than speaking
Written work much shorter or weaker than what the child can say aloud.
06
Struggling as work increases
In later grades, assignments and tests take much longer, and confidence starts to drop.
Difficulties with oral language in the preschool years are among the strongest predictors of later reading difficulties.
Snowling and Hulme, 2021
EARLY IDENTIFICATION
Why earlier is better
Ontario's Right to Read inquiry emphasized early screening and early, evidence-based intervention, and recommended that every student be screened twice a year from Kindergarten to Grade 2. Waiting to see whether a child catches up can mean losing valuable time.
Not low intelligence: many students with learning disabilities have average or above average reasoning.
Not a lack of effort: students often work harder than their peers for the same results.
Not just learning a new language: language learning is considered separately in assessment.
Not a ceiling: with the right support, students succeed at every level of education.
When struggle shows up as feelings
Signs of a learning disability may show up as frustration, school avoidance, or low confidence before they show up in grades.
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
What else could it be?
Not every learning difficulty is a learning disability, and a learning disability rarely comes alone. ADHD and learning disabilities often occur together, and reading, spelling, and math difficulties frequently overlap.
Condition or factor
How it can look like a learning disability
What helps tell them apart
ADHD
Unfinished work, careless errors, difficulty with written assignments
Difficulties stem from attention and executive functioning and appear across many tasks. Both often occur together.
Developmental language disorder
Poor reading comprehension, difficulty with writing and instructions
Difficulties are rooted in spoken language and appear in conversation as well as in reading and writing.
Intellectual disability
Learning that is slower across all areas
A learning disability affects specific skills in a student with at least average reasoning.
Learning in a new language
Slower reading, limited vocabulary, difficulty with written work
Reflects time needed to learn a new language. Assessment considers skills in the first language.
Gaps in instruction or attendance
Missing foundational skills
Skills improve quickly with good teaching. A learning disability persists despite effective instruction.
Vision or hearing difficulties
Trouble reading print, following instructions, or copying
Vision and hearing should be checked before or alongside the assessment.
Anxiety or low mood
Avoiding schoolwork, poor concentration, underperformance
Can lower performance across the board, and can also be the result of an unidentified learning disability.
Giftedness
Uneven performance, boredom, frustration with written work
A gifted student can also have a learning disability. Strong reasoning can mask it.
OUR APPROACH
How a careful assessment helps
01
A background interview
Development, language, school history, and the supports already tried.
02
Cognitive assessment
Reasoning, memory, processing speed, phonological processing, and other skills that underlie learning.
03
Academic testing
Reading, writing, and mathematics, to pinpoint exactly where skills break down.
04
A detailed report and feedback
Recommendations for intervention and accommodations, and support for an IEP and IPRC process.
Meet the assessment team
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