Learning Disabilities Versus Learning Differences - The Importance of Knowing the Difference!

When one thinks of the term "learning problem", the words comprehension problems, dyslexia, spelling difficulty, and attention disorder frequently come to mind. Parents wonder, "Does my child have a learning disability?..."Why doesn't my child have the same good grades as his friends?"..."I don't know if my daughter really has a problem learning or if she is just being lazy." They leave parent teachers meetings confused in how best to help their child.

Knowing the difference between a true learning disability and being a different learner is critical to implementing the right teaching method and learning activities for each specific student. Many times children are put through a series of psychological tests to determine if they have a disability in one or more specific area of learning, only to find out that they do not qualify for any special educational services. They attempt to complete grade worksheets after grade worksheets only to demonstrate their inability to perform the tasks. What should be done? Understanding the concepts of learning disability verses learning difference is a start.

According to the regulations for Public Law (P.L.) 101-476 which is entitled The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the definition of Learning Disability is "a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations." The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 4.6 million people in the United States have some type of learning disability. A learning disability may manifest itself with one or more of the following diagnoses: Dyslexia, Auditory Processing Disorder, Visual Processing Disorder, Dysgraphia, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Deficit (ADHD), Reading Comprehension Disorder, Alexia, Sensory Integration Disorder.

On the other hand, the term Learning Difference indicates that some learners tend to acquire new information in a way, or ways that may be unlike those of others. The functions of the brain and how differently they can learn from individual to individual remains a mystery to many in the field of neuroscience. What is clear is that we all process and learn information in our own, unique ways. What may be an adequate way of learning for one, may be inadequate for another. Some individuals learn through their visual senses, or "seeing" the process in action. Auditory learners gain understanding through hearing new information. Others may need to touch and feel the concept that is being taught. And then there are those who learn through body movements and expression of self in space. In actuality, many learners use several styles of learning at the same time to accomplish their learning needs.

The problem with the concept of different learning styles, or individual learning systems, is that many educational systems are organized for one style of teaching. Very often a curriculum is chosen for a particular subject - such as reading - and all children are expected to learn the material as the curriculum is designed. As one can see, this "boxes" a student into a learning style, while he or she may require a very different approach to learning that material. There are wonderful teachers in the public school systems that have the passion, knowledge, and desire to teach students according to their specific learning needs - to provide the learning activities needed for children with learning differences. But, because of budget cuts, lack of necessary personnel, and time limitations, great teachers many times are forced to teach to the majority and not to the minority. By that I mean that approximately 70% of a classroom will be able to learn using traditional, straightforward teaching methods, while the other 30% need a variant approach to learning new principles.

As a Speech/Language Pathologist of many years and one who specializes in processing and learning disorders, I understand the dilemma that many teachers suffer in attempting to educate children. The focus of our nationally mandated concept "No Child Left Behind", although good in theory, makes for a rigid and totally standardized way of teaching and testing. Instead of having the flexibility and opportunity to teach different learning styles, teachers are placed under time and structure constraints for testing outcome purposes. I fear that "No Child Left Behind", as it is being implemented, will result in "Many Children Making a Be-Line" (dropping out of school) because of the pressures being put on them and their learning needs not being met. There is hope for the struggling student! Success can be gained for children who are struggling in their academic lives by identifying and addressing the underlying root cause of a problem and specific learning style needs of each student.

In summary, caution should be made in the differential diagnosis between learning disability and learning difference. A team approach to the diagnosis process can be greatly beneficial to treatment outcomes. There is hope for children struggling to learn. With correct diagnosis, children dealing with the affects of learning disorders can achieve more productively and effectively in their pursuit of personal life goals and ambitions.

Lucy Gross-Barlow: As a Speech/Language Pathologist of over 26 years and having practiced in a wide variety of therapeutic settings, Lucy brings to her clients a diversity of patient care knowledge. For the past 12 years, she has specialized her practice in the area of processing disorders and remediation of learning impairments, and she has a passion in seeing her clients succeed in their communicative and learning skills. Lucy now desires to extend the knowledge she has gained in processing and learning remediation to as many children as possible to enable them to reach their full learning and communicative potential in life.

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What Is The Difference Between Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Currently both autism and autism spectrum disorder are under the same heading as autism. Yet, they are separate and the children have some very different characteristics. One of the standard landmarks for diagnosing someone with autism is speech and or communication. The child lack speech and does not hit the normal landmarks of speech. Along with the lack of speech, there are socialization problems with eye contact and general interaction. A child who has autism may not want to be held by his mother or father--rebelling and screaming when held, or when the parent tries to socially interact. Also, the child is obsessed with an object and may give these objects living qualities. Most of these children have sensory problems, which lead to behavior problems--protecting their own word. Due to the speech and language defects, the child has most of the process problems children with speech problems have: retreval memory (long and short term), and word organization.

So these are the characteristics of all children with autism--yet, the difference between autism and autism spectrum disorder are clearly separated by one thing: IQ. Most child who have been traditional said to have autism have an IQ of 36 to 50 (or lower), making them severely or moderately mentally impaired. Children, with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) have IQ above 70 (low average); consequently, the large majority of these children have average IQ (average Joe IQ--like many of us) and some have high average to genius IQ. Children with ASD are not mentally impaired. They are children with a normal IQ, who have the characteristics of autism.

This makes the difference between ASD and traditional autism, along with the ability to train the child with ASD opposed to the child with tradition autism: a person with an average IQ is able to reason and learn much better than someone who is mentally impaired. A child with ASD and a normal IQ may have a lack of speech; but a speech therapist will have an easier time teaching this child language than a child who is mentally impaired. A child with an average IQ, with sensory and speech problems will need the same intense occupational therapy as a child who is mentally impaired--but, the child who has an average IQ will do much better in therapy and be able to learn from therapy--than some one who is mentally impaired.

Therefore, the best therapies for children who are ASD are: speech, occupational therapy, social groups,and behavioral therapy. The speech therapy to help the child to learn to communicate and help with processing problems of retrieval and memory. Occupational therapy for the sensory problems, that cause much of the negative behavior. Along with behavior modification to work with the child's behavior and show them why their "protective behavior" does not work. Also,, social groups which many speech therapy program run along with a social worker to help children communicate. The primary two needed at the youngest age possible: speech and occupational therapy (sensory therapy)--which many early intervention programs do have occupational therapist who are certified in sensory integration therapy.

With the therapies done early in life and as the child with ASD goes through the various early programs offered by the school district and ones you will privately pay for (or you may be lucky enough to have an insurance company who will pay for some therapy)--you will see improvement in your child. As the speech and sensory problems get to a manageable level--with behavior modification and social groups being able to be placed in mix, you child with ASD will be able to be mainstreamed with some supports (speech and language along with social work (OT if necessary but in the school they are only concerned with activities of daily living not sensory problems) A child who is traditional autistic will not be able to be mainstreamed. He or she, since the child is mentally impaired, will not be able to function in a mainstreamed environment. A child with ADS with maturity will be able to understand what socially acceptable behavior is--a child with autism( due to being mentally impaired ) will not mature and will not be able to understand socially acceptable behavior.

Children with ADS, aspergers, turrets, and sensory integration dysfunction disorder: all fall under the umbrella of Pervasive developmental disorder (which is a mental illness in the DRGS)--traditional autism is not under this umbrella. The difference between the Pervasive developmental disorder and traditional autism is not the behavior but the IQ. All the children with "autism" have: behavior, processing, speech and other problems--with the only difference being IQ. What the increase in autism has been in is ( the 1 out of 100) is pervasive developmental disorder not traditional autism. The child with ADS with therapy and mainstreaming will be able to function in society at some point, if they mature and their talents are developed. There was a movie with Claire Danes about a woman with aspergers, who became very successful. People with aspergers are generally not mentally impaired but socially impaired (as most with PDD). Social behavior can be learned and though behavior modification therapy it can be taught. Also, due to the processing problems children with ASD may need additional help with school work, so they can live up to their true potential. An IEP with supports should be placed early in the child's academic career, so they will get the basic skills of reading and writing needed to survive later years of education.

Children with ASD and other PDD can be taught through hard work and therapy to obtain successful behavior and to be mainstreamed into normal society. Therapy should be started eerily to help bring out the talents of the child with ASD, PDD, and autism--with no quick fixes of curing autism, just years of therapy (behavior, OT, speech, and social group / along with hours of tutoring to help your child reach their academic goals.

As for treatments that are not scientifically proven: chelation and hyperbaric chambers: for autism and autism spectrum disorder. A child who is mentally impaired will not become a genius due to adding oxygen to their brain or removing mercury from their system, autism is a congenital defect. These treatments have been compared with people with cerebral palsy, some children/adult with cerebral palsy function at an average IQ. Damage in the womb or a congenital defect will not be corrected with: taking the mercy that has already caused the damage or giving brain cells that already been damaged more oxygen. The research does not support this, nor does medical logic support this.--it just makes no sense.

Therefore the best thing parents could do to defeat autism, is make sure your child is diagnosed early and be patient, it does get better with ASD and PDD as your child matures. Get the therapy you can afford, and do what the therapist tell you to do at home. Make sure you use as many school services as you can, and interact with other parents who have child with ASD and PDD --these would be perfect family to connect with in social groups. As for supplement. If you can get whole food supplements with a multivitamin and Calcium, so the child with ASD poor eating habits will not effect their nutrition (make sure they are soft gel so a small amount will easily go in your child's drink). If you want to read more information by Cheryl zmijewski RN ( http://www.cheryl-zmijewski.com )

Cheryl Zmijewski RN has been a nurse for 15 years plus, and has worked in all area of nursing. She has a son who is on the autism spectrum.

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