Recognizing the Signs of ... A Learning Disability
Sometimes students enter college already having been diagnosed with a learning disability, while other students may wonder if they have a learning disability once they begin their post-secondary education. If not previously diagnosed, students can question if they have a learning disability for a variety of reasons, such as:
- poorer performance on tests and assignments than what they feel they are capable of
- increased frustration with the learning process
- the need to exert an inordinate amount of "effort" for basic academic tasks related to reading and writing
- comments from faculty or fellow students that their performance is inconsistent e.g. answers questions well in class but cannot put those ideas on paper either for tests or for assignments
It can be helpful to understand what constitutes a learning disability and what does not. Learning disabilities are very different from intellectual disabilities, and are found in people with otherwise average (or above average) abilities essential for thinking and reasoning. Learning disabilities encompass a variety of disorders that affect acquisition of knowledge, retention of material, understanding, and organization or the use of verbal and/ or non-verbal information. They generally affect specific skill areas, and are not a reflection of difficulties covering a broad range of skills. In fact, they usually result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning eg. memory and attention, language processing, visualspatial processing, executive functions such as planning, monitoring, and metacognitive abilities, etc. They can range in severity and are often manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of: listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, mathematics, and social skills.
Generally, if someone has a learning disability, difficulties have been life-long, although their effects may be expressed differently over time. Typically, a pattern of uneven abilities is evident. Learning disabilities are usually due to genetic, congenital, and/ or acquired neurobiological factors. They may occur with other conditions, such as attentional, behavioural, or emotional disorders; sensory impairments; or other medical conditions. It is important to realize that learning disabilities are not caused by cultural or language differences, inadequate or inappropriate instruction, socio-economic status or lack of motivation.
To be successful, people with learning disabilities usually require specialized interventions in the home, school, community and workplace settings appropriate to their individual strengths and needs. These can include: access to specific skill instruction, the development of compensatory strategies (eg. study skills and/or adaptive technology), the development of self-advocacy skills, and the use of academic accommodations.
At Conestoga College, a wide variety of support services are available for students. If a student suspects they may have a learning disability but have not been previously diagnosed, the first step is to receive academic counselling from a counsellor in Counselling Services and go through the process of screening for a suspected learning disability. Once this is completed, or in instances where students have already been diagnosed as having a learning disability and possess appropriate documentation, students register with Disability Services (Room 2A109) to receive a wide variety of counselling services, training on adaptive technology, learning strategies training, employment transition support and academic accommodations.
If you are a student suspecting you have a learning disability or a faculty wanting to refer a student for screening of a suspected learning disability, please contact Counselling Services. It may also be beneficial to you to check out further information with regards to learning disability and support services on Conestoga College's Disability Services website.
If you would like to read more information about learning disabilities or topics related to study skills, you could access additional articles within our on-line links section.