What Does it Mean to Have a Learning Difference?
Although many people use the terms “learning difference” and “learning disability” interchangeably, James Wendorf, executive director at the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), points out that, strictly speaking, they are not synonymous.
“‘Learning differences’ is a term used to describe a range of learning challenges that children and adults confront, which include learning disabilities,” he explains. “The number of children and adults dealing with learning differences is thus much larger than the learning disabilities figure. Around 20 percent of children may experience learning differences, but approximately 5 percent of school-age children in public schools today receive special education services because they have been diagnosed as ‘learning disabled.’”
Both learning disabilities and learning differences are neurobiological disorders that interfere with someone’s ability to process information. Wendorf says that these children are primarily of average or above-average intelligence, and some are off the charts in terms of high intelligence. This means that in certain areas, such as reading or mathematics, there is often a tremendous gap between the child’s potential and his/her actual achievement. A distinguishing feature of these students is that they may be moving through some areas of the curriculum very well, and be severely challenged in other areas, because of the way their brains are wired.
In addition, the disability is very often displayed in ways that have a social or emotional aspect, Wendorf explains. “Unfortunately, most of these children have had experience with failing academically, and the result for many is that they are frustrated. This can lead to social problems that can accompany those failures: difficulty making friends and difficulty navigating through social situations in ways that do not faze children without a learning difference.”