Mythbusting Learning Disabilities
What is a Learning Disability (LD)?
Here is how the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada’s defines LDs:
Myth: People with Learning Disabilities (LDs) cannot learn.
Fact: People with LDs are capable, smart and can learn, they just learn in different ways. One of the requirements for an LD diagnosis is Average to Above Average intelligence.
Myth: ADHD is a Learning Disability.
Fact: ADHD is NOT an LD. However, symptoms of ADHD can often cause learning difficulty, and a need for support at school or work to be successful. In fact, a person can also have both ADHD and LDs.
Myth: When someone is diagnosed with dyslexia, it means they haven’t put enough effort into reading and writing.
Fact: People with dyslexia have brains that function differently than those without dyslexia. With dyslexia, ability and effort are not equal: people with dyslexia require additional support, instruction and practice to build reading and writing skills.
Avery’s STARS Literacy program is an intensive, evidence-based reading and spelling intervention for kids with dyslexia, other Learning Disabilities, ADHD or who struggle to read. Learn how we help kids with reading, spelling and writing!
Myth: When someone with dyslexia gains reading and writing skills, they no longer have dyslexia.
Fact: Dyslexia is a learning difference people carry throughout their lives. With intervention and support, people with dyslexia can increase their literacy skills significantly. However, dyslexia does not vanish once a person learns to read and write.
Avery’s Structured, Targeted Approach to Reading and Spelling (STARS) is an intensive, evidence-based program for children with dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, ADHD and difficulty reading, writing and spelling. Learn more about STARS Literacy and how we can help you help your child become a confident reader.
Myth: Children outgrow Learning Disabilities by adulthood.
Fact: People do not grow out of dyslexia and Learning Disabilities. Because most children spend more time in formal educational settings, like school, than adults do, dyslexia can be more obvious. By adulthood, people with dyslexia have discovered hacks, masks or ways to cope with dyslexia.
Myth: Learning to read is natural process.
Fact: Learning to read is very complex, not a natural process! People must learn reading skills systematically and explicitly. Practice is essential for reading success.
Myth: All children with dyscalculia have the same difficulties with mathematics.
Fact: A child with dyscalculia does not always experience the same difficulties as another with the same Learning Disability. Each person’s strengths and challenges are individual and varied, and need personalized help. For example, some children with dyscalculia often have difficulty recalling fundamental math facts and exercises. Other children with dyscalculia have challenges with their working memory and/or comprehending info in charts or graphs.
Myth: Dyslexia can’t be diagnosed before grade three.
Fact: Signs and symptoms of dyslexia may become apparent as early as preschool, and dyslexia can be diagnosed as early as kindergarten. For example, a potential indicator of dyslexia in preschoolers could be a delay in language development or having difficulties with rhyming.
Myth: Accommodations in school are an unfair advantage.
Fact: Accommodations level the playing field and create equal opportunities for all students to reach their full potential.
Individual Program Plans (IPP), also called Individual Support Plans (ISP), outline learning strategies, tools and outcomes for students with different needs. With them, a student learns the same material as their classmates, but in a way that works with their brain structure. Without overcoming difficulty reading, writing, spelling or processing information, some students cannot learn the same material as their classmates at the same speed.
IPPs also help a student, their parents/caregivers and their teacher(s) create an appropriate learning path together, without disrupting others in the class.
Myth: Dyslexia only occurs in people who speak English.
Fact: Dyslexia occurs in every language, worldwide. Sometimes, diagnosing reading difficulties in people who speak two or more languages is a challenge; in these cases, literacy problems can be mistaken as a struggle to learn a new language.
If your child is bilingual/multilingual and has difficulty reading in both/all languages, consider seeking help. A literacy specialist can discover whether you child is struggling to learn a language or struggling with a Learning Disability.
Myth: Learning Disabilities are uncommon.
Fact: Learning Disabilities (LD) are very common. In fact, approximately 5% to 15% of people world-wide have an LD. People with Learning Disabilities have unique cognitive processes, meaning they process information differently than those without an LD. Learning Disabilities can affect knowledge acquisition (absorbing information), retention (storing and recalling information), and utilization (applying information).
