What is a Learning Disability?


Learning Disabilities are neurological handicaps that affect the ability of the brain to understand, remember, or communicate information. In the past, Learning Disabilities were believed to be rare but now is believed to affect 5% of the population in North America. This translates to over 12,000,00 people.  Many professionals believe this number is actually higher and that there many people unidentified people with Learning Disabilities. The term Learning Disability does not refer to a single disorder but a broad range of handicaps that affect academic performance. There are many different types of Learning Disabilities. (Smith, Corinne, 1998)

  • Some people with Learning Disabilities will only hold a job for three months.
  • Up to 74% of first-year university or college students with Learning Disabilities will drop out within the first year.
  • 70% of our criminal population has some type of Learning Disability.
(http://www.ldanb-taanb.ca/english/pdf/stats.pdf)



1 comment: