What are Learning Disorders and ADHD?

WHAT EXACTLY IS A LEARNING DISORDER?
Description: A learning disability can be best described as an inability to acquire or relate specific information. It is not a form of mental retardation or intelligence impairment. Learning disabilities can exist in various areas, such as math, reading, or writing. Some students may have combinations of these disabilities or have these disabilities in combination with social/emotional adjustment problems. Accommodation plans try to help compensate for specific deficits.

Diagnosis: A learning disorder is a diagnosable, clinically significant gap between cognitive ability and level of academic achievement. This means that a severely retarded 10-year-old who speaks like a 6-year-old probably doesn't have a language or speech disability. He has mastered language up to the limits of his intelligence. On the other hand, a fifth grader with an Average IQ who can't write a simple sentence probably does have LD.

Information Processing Deficits: Learning disorders are related to deficits in specific areas of information processing (e.g. auditory processing, visual processing, short-term memory deficit, long-term memory deficit, processing speed, language comprehension and/or expression). Testing is used to determine the type of deficiency that exists and the severity of the deficiency.

Common Signs of Learning Disorders

WHAT EXACTLY IS ADHD?
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood and can persist through adolescence and into adulthood. Currently the causes are unknown. A person with ADHD has a chronic level of inattention, impulsive hyperactivity, or both such that daily functioning is compromised. Note: A person with ADHD can have primarily inattentive symptoms (and little hyperactivity/impulsivity). The symptoms of the disorder must be present at levels that are higher than expected for a person's developmental stage and must interfere with the person's ability to function in different settings (e.g., in school and at home). A person with ADHD may struggle in important areas of life, such as peer and family relationships, and school or work performance.