Psychology & Learning Disabilities

Psychological testing is one of the tools used to formally document the presence of learning disabilities. In addition, psychologists play a critical support role after diagnosis, because learning disabilities do not affect only learning. Children and adults with learning disabilities are generally as smart as their peers, but they are unable to perform in ways consistent with their ability. The knowledge that they can and yet can't accomplish required tasks is frustrating and demoralizing. Psychologists provide people with learning disabilities the emotional scaffolding they need as they struggle to cope with the conflict between their intellectual ability and the obstructive effects of their learning disability.

Definition

• Learning disability is a general term that describes a group of neurological disorders that interfere with a person's ability to receive and process information (how she interprets what she hears or sees) as well as how she stores and responds to information. This is because, if she has a learning disability, her brain is wired differently.

  Learning disabilities can cause a person to have difficulty with academic skills such as reading, writing and spelling, as well as life skills such as reasoning, recalling information and even organizing information. Consequently, learning disabilities can affect how he functions at school, at work, at home and at play.

Types

• Dysgraphia is a writing disability.

  Learning disabilities are categorized as reading-based (dyslexia), writing-based (dysgraphia) and mathematical (dyscalculia). Other categories include auditory and visual processing disorders, nonverbal learning disabilities, and a federal category known as nonspecific learning disabilities. A person can be diagnosed with a single learning disability or multiple and overlapping learning disabilities.

Identification

• Parents, teachers and other professionals may first suspect the presence of a learning disability if they observe confusing patterns of performance in a child. The child also may begin to suspect he has a problem because he feels unequal to required tasks. Historically, the IQ discrepancy model has been used in the formal diagnosis and documentation of learning disabilities.

Behavioral Issues

• People with learning disabilities experience patterns of inconsistent or uneven performance that cause extreme frustration and feelings of inadequacy. For example, they may understand higher math but struggle with simple arithmetic; or correctly discuss lessons in class but be unable to pass a test on the same subject; or give an oral presentation but be unable to write it in a report. According to Dr. Sheldon H. Horowitz, in "Behavior Problems and Learning Disabilities," these inconsistent performance patterns lead to anxiety and many psychosomatic ailments such as stomach aches and headaches.

Social Issues

• In "Social/Emotional Challenges of Learning Disabilities," Horowitz also states that people with learning disabilities are at "greater risk of having problems in dealing with their emotions and in knowing how to behave in certain situations" than their peers.

Self-esteem

• Inconsistent performance and recurrent social problems have a cumulative impact on people with learning disabilities. "Repeated failure, taunts from peers, and negative feedback from teachers often come at a considerable psychological cost," according to Dr. Arlyn Roffman in "Low Self-esteem." The cost is "emotional overlay." Roffman says that "the psychological symptoms are very real and can be extraordinarily draining."