DEFINITIONS OF LEARNING DISABILITIES
by Roemer Visser
Graduate Assistant
Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning
April 2000
The following definitions are listed in no particular order.
Definition 1:
The 1977 U.S. Office of Education
The term "specific learning disability" means a disorder in one or
more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using
language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability
to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. The
term includes such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal
brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include
children who have learning disabilities which are primarily the result of visual,
hearing, or motor handicaps, or mental retardation, or emotional disturbance,
or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. (United States Office
of Education. (1977). Definition and criteria for defining students as learning
disabled. Federal Register, 42:250, p. 65083. Washington, DC: U.S. Government
Printing Office.)
Definition 2:
The Learning Disabilities Association of America
Specific Learning Disabilities is a chronic condition of presumed neurological
origin which selectively interferes with the development, integration, and/or
demonstration of verbal and/or nonverbal abilities. Specific Learning Disabilities
exist as a distinct handicapping condition and varies in its manifestations
and in degree of severity. Throughout life, the condition can affect self esteem,
education, vocation, socialization, and/or daily living activities. (Association
for Children with Learning Disabilities. (1986). ACLD Description: Specific
Learning Disabilities. ACLD Newsbriefs, Sept./Oct.(166), 15. Note: The Association
for Children with Learning Disabilities is now the Learning Disabilities Association
of America.)
Definition 3:
The Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities is a generic term that refers to a heterogeneous group
of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in acquisition and use
of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities,
or of social skills. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and presumed
to be due to central nervous system dysfunction. Even though a learning disability
may occur concomitantly with other handicapping conditions (e.g., sensory impairment,
mental retardation, social and emotional disturbance), with socioenvironmental
influences (e.g., cultural differences, insufficient or inappropriate instruction,
psychogenic factors), and especially attention deficit disorder, all of which
may cause learning problems, a learning disability is not the direct result
of those conditions or influences. (Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities.
(1987). Learning disabilities: A report to the U.S. Congress. Bethesda, MD:
National Institutes of Health, p.222.)
Definition 4:
Rehabilitation Services Administration
A specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the central
nervous system processes involved in perceiving, understanding, and/or using
concepts through verbal (spoken or written) language or nonverbal means. This
disorder manifests itself with a deficit in one or more of the following areas:
attention, reasoning, processing, memory, communication, reading, writing,
spelling, calculation, coordination, social competence, and emotional maturity.
(Rehabilitation Services Administration. (1985, January 24). Program policy
directive. Washington, DC: U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation
Services.)
Definition 5:
The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group
of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and
use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities.
These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to central
nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span. Problems in
self-regulatory behaviors, social perception, and social interaction may exist
with learning disabilities but do not by themselves constitute a learning disability.
Although learning disabilities may occur concomitantly with other handicapping
conditions (for example, sensory impairment, mental retardation, serious emotional
disturbance) or with extrinsic influences (such as cultural differences, insufficient
or inappropriate instruction), they are not the result of those conditions
or influences. (National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. (1988).
Collective perspectives on issues affecting learning disabilities: Position
papers and statements. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.)
Back to Learning Disabilities Related to Adults in Texas | Back to Documents Index
