Is It a Learning Difference or a Learning Disability, and Why It Matters
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Is It a Learning Difference or a Disability, and Why It Matters
BY LAURA SPAULDING STAFF WRITER
The Joy School intentionally uses the broader term “learning differences” to discuss how students learn and how they struggle to learn. This allows us to focus less on what we call a specific difficulty or diagnosis and more on what we can do to address the struggles at hand.
One reason for this is that the words used around the world to diagnose, define, and describe the diversity of human development are always changing. Even the medical categories and classifications that define which behaviors are considered outside the scope of normal development change depending on current educational trends and cultural norms. This ultimately informs classroom and curricular trends as well as current medical and therapeutic options available to students who fall outside current cultural norms.
As an example, Asperger's Syndrome was added to the fourth version of the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a distinct diagnosis. However, it was removed from the DSM-IV in 2013, leaving behind many who were previously diagnosed with this label still identifying with the term. Every medical and cultural change, along with all the most current brain research, helps to inform how our school approaches learning differences, but it does not change how we talk and think about our students. Regardless of current educational trends, The Joy School is committed to enabling those with learning differences to reach their academic and social potential. This, our timeless mission, has stayed constant and relevant from the school’s inception a quarter century ago until now, regardless of educational or curricular trends.
Another factor informing our decision to use the term “learning differences” when we describe our mission is the beautiful complexity and diversity of every student we meet. Even as the words and systems of diagnosing neurodevelopmental disorders continue to change, the specific struggles our learners face have always been as diverse as each student we serve. Even students with identical diagnoses can struggle for different reasons and need different interventions and accommodations.
While a child’s specific label (or what we call a specific struggle or behavior) has little to do with how we think about or address various struggles or behaviors, we do still believe the words we use are important. Our intentional decision to use “learning differences” in our mission statement (and as the primary descriptor of how our students learn or struggle to learn) does not mean we do not value or understand current research and policy related to neurodevelopmental disorders. We use a student’s diagnosis and all the most up-to-date research available on learning disabilities and learning disorders to inform how we carry out our mission day to day.
None of the words or categories discussed in this article are specific diagnoses. They are, however, the words and categories most often used by parents, educators, and professionals to talk about students who struggle in traditional classroom settings. While the words learning difference, learning disability, and learning disorder are often used interchangeably, there are important distinctions between these terms.
Learning Difference
A Social Construct
The National Center for Culturally Responsive Education in Australia defines learning difference as “a term that encompasses all the diverse ways students learn and the rates at which they learn.” This definition resonates with The Joy School’s philosophy as it considers individual learning motivations, aspirations, interests, experiences, cultural backgrounds, strengths, and needs. "Learning difference" is neither a legal nor a medical term (particularly in the US) and does not qualify a student for special education or therapeutic services. It also does not offer any legal protection in cases of disability discrimination. Rather, the term “learning difference” describes a wide range of human learning experiences based on current societal norms. What one school considers a learning difference is going to look different than another school. A child may thrive in one educational setting while possessing strengths and needs that fall outside of the academic and social standards of a different school. Geographical location can impact current educational trends, and often a more rigorous independent school will have academic and social standards that look different than a traditional public school, even in the same neighborhood or city.
Learning Difficulty
A Personal Experience
According to the NCCE, “learning difficulties” refer to external factors that affect a student’s ability to achieve at the same rate as their same-age peers. It includes a wide range of challenges and struggles that are not necessarily related to the learning process. Difficulties that are directly related to the learning process would fall into the more formal categories of a “Specific Learning Disorder” or a “Learning Disability,” which are discussed below. These non-learning-related factors might include school transitions, ineffective instruction, absenteeism, language barriers, personal or family trauma, or socio-economic status. A child who changes schools in the middle of the school year will likely miss instruction or need time to adjust to new academic or social norms. A student who suffers a concussion or breaks an arm will face difficulties at school and require temporary interventions and accommodations to overcome those challenges. Learning difficulties include any challenges that could ideally be overcome with appropriate intervention or accommodations.
Specific Learning Disorder
A Medical Diagnosis
Unlike a learning difference or learning difficulty, a Specific Learning Disorder is a recognized medical diagnosis as defined by the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM5 defines a Specific Learning Disorder as a persistent difficulty learning or difficulty using academic skills. These challenges are regarded as long-term impairments that tend to be resistant to typical interventions and accommodations, requiring specialized instruction and remediation. There are only three learning disorders named in the DSM5 which are: impairment in reading (dyslexia), impairment in writing (dysgraphia), or impairment in math (dyscalculia). While Attention Deficits and Communication Disorders are defined in the DSM5, they fall under the broader medical category of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
Learning Disability
A Legal Term
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines a Learning Disability as “a disorder in one or more basic processes involved in understanding or using language, including the imperfect ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or perform mathematical calculations.” Individuals with a learning disability are said to have long-term impairments that qualify them for accommodations, interventions, and public services under the legal term “Learning Disability.” Identification of a learning disability is separate from the process of diagnosing a specific learning disorder.
While a Specific Learning Disorder is diagnosed by a medical professional using criteria from the DSM5, there are three ways to qualify for a Learning Disability label. 1.a discrepancy between cognitive ability and achievement based on diagnostic testing 2. evidence of failure to show adequate response to increasingly intense intervention over time or 3. a pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses demonstrated on cognitive assessments which are consistent with presenting academic underachievement.
This all leads to one final reason we've chosen the more global term “learning differences” to describe who we serve at The Joy School. While many have, not all of our students have been formally diagnosed with learning disabilities or specific learning disorders. Most importantly: The Joy School does not require an official diagnosis or evidence of failure to qualify students to receive interventions.
Regardless of a child’s struggles or diagnoses before coming to The Joy School, or the ongoing changes in educational trends, cultural norms, and the words and categories used to describe human behavior and learning, The Joy School’s timeless mission remains the same. We are committed to preparing students with learning differences to return to traditional classroom settings by enabling them to reach their academic and social potential in a safe, supportive environment.
For more information on how The Joy School helps students with Learning Differences and Disabilities, visit our website at Who We Serve