Other learning disabilities are related to cognitive skills. Dyslexia, for example, is a common developmental reading disorder. Though a person can have problems with any of the tasks involved in reading, scientists have found that a significant number of people with dyslexia share an inability to distinguish or separate the sounds in spoken words. For instance, people with dyslexia sometimes have difficulty assigning the appropriate sounds to individual letters or to letters that have been combined to form words. Reading is more than recognizing words, however. If the brain is unable to form images or relate new ideas to those stored in memory, the reader can’t understand or remember the new concepts. So other types of reading disabilities can appear when the focus of reading shifts from word identification to comprehension.⁶

Writing involves several brain areas and functions as well. The brain networks for vocabulary, grammar, hand movement, and memory must all be in good working order. A developmental writing disorder might result from problems in any of these areas. Someone who can’t distinguish the sequence of sounds in a word will often have problems with spelling. People with writing disabilities, particularly expressive language disorders (the inability to express oneself using accurate language or sentence structure), are often unable to write complete, grammatical sentences.⁷

A student with a developmental arithmetic disorder will have difficulty recognizing numbers and symbols, memorizing facts such as multiplication tables, and understanding abstract concepts such as place value and fractions.⁸

The following questions may help you determine whether you or someone you know should be screened for a possible learning disability:

Although responding yes to any of these questions does not mean that you have a disability, your campus learning center or the office for student disability services can help you address any potential problems and devise ways for you to learn more effectively.

If you have a documented learning disability, make sure to notify the office of student disability services at your college or university to receive reasonable accommodations, as required by law. Reasonable accommodations might include use of a computer during some exams, readers for tests, in-class note-takers, extra time for assignments and tests, or the use of audio textbooks, depending on your needs and the type of disability you have.

Anyone who is diagnosed with a learning disability is in good company. According to national data, between 15 and 20 percent of Americans have a learning disability. Pop star Jewel, National Football League host and former player Terry Bradshaw, actor Patrick Dempsey, and CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper are just a few of the famous and successful people who have diagnosed learning disabilities. Here is a final important message: A learning disability is a learning difference, but is in no way related to intelligence. Having a learning disability is not a sign that you are stupid. In fact, some of the most intelligent individuals in human history have had a learning disability.