Human Growth and Development / Unit 7 HGD 0958 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Specific Learning Disorders
The idea
A learning disability is difficulty in a specific academic area that is not due to intellectual, physical or sensory impairment; the current diagnostic manual calls it specific learning disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder. Dyslexia is difficulty with reading, affecting about seven percent of people, a rate that varies by country and writing system. Dysgraphia is difficulty with writing and often occurs with dyslexia. Dyscalculia is difficulty with mathematics, at rates similar to dyslexia.
In practice
Dyslexia estimated at eleven percent in Nigeria and two percent in Slovakia, differences tied partly to how each language is written.
Where people slip
Diagnosis looks for difficulty that persists despite adequate teaching and targeted intervention. The older approach, requiring a gap between IQ and achievement, lacks empirical support, as recent reviews argue. Interventions help, including for dyscalculia.
Your place on the trail
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Builds on
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