Mental Health

Learning Disabilities

What is a learning disability?

Learning disability (LD) is a broad term that describes a broad array of possible causes, symptoms, treatments, and outcomes. Learning disabilities can show up in many forms, making it difficult to diagnose. It has no known causes and no known cure.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH):

LD is a disorder that affects people's ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can show up in many ways -- as specific difficulties with spoken and written language, coordination, self-control, or attention. Such difficulties extend to schoolwork and can impede learning to read or write, or to do math.

Learning disabilities can last throughout a person's life and affect many aspects, including:

school
work
daily routines
personal relationships

Some people have several overlapping learning disabilities, while others may have a single, isolated problem that has little impact on other areas of their lives.

This page was last updated on: May 30, 2006.

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