ADHD and Learning Disorders

What is a learning disorder?

• A learning disorder, or learning disability, is when a person has trouble with one or more parts of school work. The trouble is more than expected for their age and general intelligence.
• People with learning disorders can be very intelligent in general.

What types of learning disorder are there?

• Reading disorder
• Writing disorder
• Mathematics disorder

What are some signs of learning disorders?

• Trouble recognizing or being able to blend sounds into words
• Skipping over words while reading
• Trouble explaining what was read
• Reversing the order of numbers or letters in a word or math problem
• Trouble remembering math facts
• Handwriting that is slow, hard to read or poorly spaced

Do learning disabilities and ADHD co-occur?

• Yes. Up to 50% of people with ADHD also have a learning disorder.
• Recognizing a learning disability in a child with ADHD can be challenging. Parents and teachers may think a child's struggles in school are from ADHD, not a learning disorder. Once symptoms of ADHD are reduced, it may be easier to recognize a learning disorder.

What can I do if I think my child has a learning disorder?

• Talk to your child's doctor, your child's teachers, and the special education coordinator at your child's school. Ask for your child to get an evaluation. Also ask for an Individual Educational Plan. These are free in public schools.
• Take your child to get a comprehensive evaluation. He or she will most likely have to complete an intelligence test and an achievement test.

How can a learning disorder be helped?

• Special education teachers, resource teachers and tutors all know special ways to teach a child who has a learning disorder.
• Good control with medicine, if ADHD is also present, can help a child make the best of their learning abilities. Medication does not cure a learning disorder, however.
• Making sure a child has a chance to be good at something, like singing or a sport, helps their spirit and confidence when learning is hard.
• For more information about what helps learning disorders, click here.