According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, there are 4.7 million children between the ages of 3 - 17 that have been diagnosed with a learning disability. That is roughly 7.8% of America's children. In addition, the Twenty-fourth annual report to Congress from the Department of Education (2002) reports that "as many as 1 out of every 5 people in the United States has a learning disability."

The website LD Online, gives a clear and concise definition of a learning disability...

"A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways.  A learning disability can't be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong issue."

My son's psychiatrist once compared having a learning disability to a file cabinet.  He explained that my son's LD brain was like a huge filing cabinet.  It was full of information.  However, the information was not labeled or filed in any order.  Therefore, when my son needs to retrieve a piece of information or remember something he's learned it is very difficult to do so.  He doesn't know what "drawer" to look in.

The term "learning disability" is a very broad term and covers numerous conditions.  They are all neurological disorders but each has it's own distinct symptoms and challenges.  How many specific LD's are you familiar with?

I am most familiar with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia as these are the three learning disabilities my son has.  LD Online describes each of these learning disabilities as follows:

• Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability
• Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities
• Dyscalculia is learning disabilities involving math

In addition to these three there is also:

• Dyspraxia
• Auditory & Visual Processing Disorders
• Nonverbal Learning Disabilities

If you have followed any of the links within this post, you have no doubt figured out that I am quite fond of the LD Online website.  If your child has been diagnosed with an LD, or you suspect an LD, I would highly encourage you to bookmark their website.  I have found it to be a valuable resource and have referred to it countless times.  They also have a free, monthly, online newsletter that you'll want to subscribe to as well.