Signs Of Learning Disability In Adults

What Are Some Signs Of Learning Disabilities

Many children have trouble reading, writing, or performing other learning-related tasks at some point. This does not mean they have learning disabilities. A child with a learning disability often has several related signs, and they dont go away or get better over time. The signs of learning disabilities vary from person to person.

Please note that the generally common signs included here are for informational purposes only the information is not intended to screen for learning disabilities in general or for a specific type of learning disability.

Common signs that a person may have learning disabilities include the following:

• Problems reading and/or writing
• Trouble telling time
• Problems staying organized1

A child with a learning disability also may have one or more of the following1:

• Acting without really thinking about possible outcomes
• Acting out in school or social situations
• Difficulty staying focused being easily distracted
• Difficulty saying a word correctly out loud or expressing thoughts
• Problems with school performance from week to week or day to day
• Speaking like a younger child using short, simple phrases or leaving out words in sentences
• Having a hard time listening
• Problems dealing with changes in schedule or situations
• Problems understanding words or concepts

These signs alone are not enough to determine that a person has a learning disability. Only a professional can diagnose a learning disability.

Ad/hd With Work Or Studies

If you have AD/HD but didnt know it for a long time, you may have been misunderstood at work, at university or college. Your behaviourwhether you are restless, impulsive, disorganized or easily distractedcan be seen as being purposefully disruptive and unreliable. People with AD/HD may be seen to be unmotivated, lazy, self-centred or even slow learners. AD/HD may lead to a lifetime of underachievement, falling short of goals at work and complicating relationships with co-workers. Since AD/HD symptoms are usually not visible, co-workers may also have difficulty understanding and accepting the limitations they create.

A poor personjob match may also exist. Sometimes, a person needs to choose a place of employment or type of work that makes the best use of particular strong points and minimizes weaknesses. At times, success may be achieved with the help of the employer by disclosing your AD/HD in order to receive job accommodations. These must be tailored to meet the persons specific needs. Some examples of accommodations in the workplace include extra clerical support, access to audio and video equipment, job restructuring, reassignment to a different position that better matches strengths, modified work schedules, computer with reader and voice-activated software, and filing systems that meet your needs.

These fact sheets have been funded with an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada Inc. LDAC is solely responsible for the content.

Difficulty Developing Social Skills

Adults who have a hard time socializing and who simply find it challenging to connect with people may have a learning disability, which can cause them to be forgetful, frustrated, or angry. These types of learning disabilities can also make you want to postpone gatherings or procrastinate, which prevents you from staying in touch with family and friends. If you recognize these patterns, you may have a nonverbal learning disability.

Recommended Reading: United Healthcare Short Term Disability

What Are Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are usually lifelong problems that affect someones ability to learn in one or more specific academic areas, such as reading, writing or maths. They are sometimes called learning difficulties.

In Australia, up to 1 in every 10 people has a learning disability. The most common ones are:

• dyslexia, which causes problems with reading and writing about 8 in 10 people with a learning disability have dyslexia
• dysgraphia, which causes problems with spelling and handwriting
• dyscalculia, which causes problems with maths
• dysphasia, which causes problems with speaking and understanding others speech

A learning disability is different from an intellectual disability, which affects every aspect of how the brain learns and understands. Learning disabilities affect only a specific area of learning.

A childs difficulty in school does not always stem from a learning disability. However, if you think your child has a learning disability, it is important to get them assessed and provide support as early as you can.

How Do Symptoms Of Autism And Learning Disabilities Overlap

As discussed, autism and learning disability are not the same thing and often occur independently of one another. However, some individuals with autism also suffer from a learning disability.

When comparing autism and learning disabilities, there are similarities in communication, learning, attention, and social challenges.In some cases, similarities exist between those with autism and disorders such as dyslexia. For example, individuals with dyslexia can experience auditory and visual difficulties, similar to the hyper or hypo sensitivity seen in those with autism. Dyslexic individuals can also showcase unique strengths in focused areas, displaying strong creative, logic, or design skills. Again, this can mimic focuses seen among individuals with autism.

The following symptoms of autism and learning disabilities overlap:

• Neither are curable
• Both can have a significant impact on ones life
• Early intervention and ongoing support is important for both
• Sensory processing issues and issues with social skills are common in autism and all learning disabilities

Recommended Reading: Who Qualifies For Short Term Disability

Adult Intellectual Disabilities Signs And Symptoms

Intellectual disabilities can occur due to any one of the disabilities listed above. While these are common intellectual disabilities, they arent the only cases for intellectual disabilities in adults. Many have an unknown cure. However, many individuals can live full and rich lives.

Different reasons can cause someone to develop an intellectual disability, and because of that, it can be hard to determine the reason for any one disability. Here are the signs you should look for if you suspect you or a loved one may have an intellectual disability:

• Failure to meet milestones in the development
• Difficulty reading or speaking
• Failing to understand social cues
• Issues remembering or recalling things
• Inability to perform routine tasks, such as dressing oneself or using a remote
• Relying on nonverbal communication
• Difficulty regulating or expressing emotions
• Unable to problem solve or think logically
• Disordered logic
• Behavior inconsistent with their age

Characteristics Of Adults With Ld

Positive characteristics of adults with LD may include problem-solving skills, compensatory strategies, persistence, empathy, and outgoing personalities.Areas of difficulty include:

• difficulty with reading, writing and/or math
• inability to discriminate between or among letters, numbers, and/or sounds
• eye-hand coordination problems
• difficulty putting things in the right sequence
• disorganization and/or
• difficulty adjusting to change.

Read Also: New York Social Security Disability Attorney

Strategies For Adults Living With Lds

Build your own success story. Learn to help manage your learning disability in different areas of your life. Find out about strategies, techniques and tricks for dyslexia and other learning disabilities to help you tackle daily challenges in the areas of education, employment, and social interaction.

How Might A Child With Ad/hd Behave

Three behaviours are used to confirm a diagnosis of AD/HDdistractibility, impulsivity and high energy/activity . It is important to note, though, that just as everyone has different fingerprints, everyone with AD/HD has a unique set of symptoms that occur more often and in different settings all the time.

Distractibility/Inattention is supersensitivity and limited ability to tune out both internal stimuli and environmental stimuli .1

Children who are distracted often have poor short-term memory and may easily forget instructions, have trouble keeping track of belongings, and organizing or concentrating on one task or finishing a task.

Children who are inattentive may also be underactive . Hypoactivity is insufficient motor activity. They react and work slowly and seem to be unemotional, so that they appear lazy and spacy or daydreamers.

Hyperactivity is persistent, heightened and sustained activity. Hyperactive children are constantly restlesstapping fingers or feet, swinging legs or squirming in the chair. They may be up and down from their desk during class activities or doing several things at once. They may start projects but are unable to complete them because of too much energy and boredom as they constantly need stimuli. Their motivation appears to be fading.

When AD/HD is left unidentified or untreated, a person is at great risk for impaired learning ability, decreased self-esteem, social problems, family difficulties and potential long-term effects.

You May Like: All Of The Following Apply To Short-term Disability Plans Except

How To Diagnose A Learning Disability In Adults

If you’re noticing signs of a learning disability in yourself or a loved one, it’s important to understand that a true diagnosis can only come from a licensed professional. For most people, the first person to see is their primary care physician. A physical exam and routine blood work can help rule out other potential causes of your symptoms, especially if they have only recently developed or become worse. Some general physicians have training that allows them to diagnose learning disabilities. If not, they can make recommendations or write a referral for an appointment with someone who can help you in this area.

Most likely, you’ll need to see a psychologist, psychiatrist, educational therapist, or neuropsychologist to get a true diagnosis for any type of learning disability. There are many other organizations, such as The National Learning Disabilities Association of America or local rehabilitation centers that can also help. You’ll discuss your symptoms and overall history with a specialist and schedule testing that helps determine exactly what type of learning struggles you may have.

Learning Disabilities: Our Definition

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities for example household tasks, socialising or managing money which affects someone for their whole life.

People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complicated information and interact with other people.

Recommended Reading: Social Security Disability Overpayment Statute Of Limitations

Signs Of A Learning Disability In Adults

One in every 59 children has some form of a learning disorder. Reading and learning disabilities affect up to 10% of children in the entire world. While symptoms of learning disabilities usually start appearing when we are young, they are often left undiagnosed. Individuals with learning difficulties often grow up without the help they need, which can lead to intellectual disabilities, low self-esteem, and mental health issues.

Signs And Symptoms Of Learning Disabilities: Ages 10

• Difficulty with reading comprehension or math skills.
• Trouble with open-ended test questions and word problems.
• Dislikes reading and writing avoids reading aloud.
• Poor handwriting.

• Poor organizational skills .
• Trouble following classroom discussions and expressing thoughts aloud.
• Spells the same word differently in a single document.

Don’t Miss: Mutual Of Omaha Long-term Disability Reviews

A Measure Of Intellectual Functioning:

To assess learning aptitude: the individuals actual ability to learn, measured through various different component of the learning process. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised and the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery are widely used. In addition to determining levels of intellectual ability, specific measures should be included in the test battery to assess: short and long-term memory functions language functions including receptive and expressive vocabulary verbal and non-verbal abstract reasoning or logic attention span, visual perceptual abilities including various spatial tasks, sequencing, right-left orientation and fine motor dexterity and organizational and planning skills.

Children With Learning Disabilities Can And Do Succeed

It can be tough to face the possibility that your child has a learning disorder. No parent wants to see their child suffer. You may wonder what it could mean for your childs future, or worry about how they will make it through school. Perhaps youre concerned that by calling attention to your childs learning problems they might be labeled slow or assigned to a less challenging class.

But the important thing to remember is that most kids with learning disabilities are just as smart as everyone else. They just need to be taught in ways that are tailored to their unique learning styles. By learning more about learning disabilities in general, and your child’s learning difficulties in particular, you can help pave the way for success at school and beyond.

Recommended Reading: How Much Money For Disability

Learning Disabilities In Math

Learning disabilities in math vary greatly depending on the child’s other strengths and weaknesses. A child’s ability to do math will be affected differently by a language learning disability, a visual disorder, or a difficulty with sequencing, memory, or organization.

A child with a math-based learning disorder may struggle with memorization and organization of numbers, operation signs, and number facts . Children with math learning disorders might also have trouble with counting principles or have difficulty telling time.

Signs And Symptoms Of Learning Disabilities: Ages 5

• Trouble learning the connection between letters and sounds.
• Unable to blend sounds to make words.
• Confuses basic words when reading.
• Slow to learn new skills.

• Consistently misspells words and makes frequent errors.
• Trouble learning basic math concepts.
• Difficulty telling time and remembering sequences.

Read Also: How Much Disability Can I Draw

Living With Learning Disabilities

Children with learning disabilities often develop problems with their self-esteem and are at greater risk of dropping out of school. However, if your child has a learning disability, there are ways you can support them.

Try to be as positive about your child as possible and focus on their strengths to build their resilience. You can praise them for non-academic achievements and encourage them to try new things and develop new skills.

When Bright Employees Dont Measure Up

Ron has a BA from the University of Guelph. He sells microcomputers and software to small and medium-size companies that are computerizing office management, customer accounts, and payroll. Hes great at developing new customer prospects and making initial contacts.

Chatting with the clients and generating interest in the products always get the process off to a promising start. But then things seem to fall apart. Hes fuzzy on precise product specifications and sometimes misjudges customer requirements. His quotations are frequently incorrect and, too often, the customer slips away before he can straighten things out and close the sale. His manager is more and more on Rons case about his sloppy performance, yet the manager is confused about what to do. He knows Ron is bright enough and is really motivated to sell. So why doesnt he get his act together?

Brendas a receptionist, outgoing and well-liked by everyone in her company. She is extra conscientious, always willing to go out of her way to make visitors welcome, handle personal messages for staff, and take on extra typing when things get hectic in the office. Because of this, people try to ignore the persistent mix-ups at the front desk. Messages are seldom right: the date is wrong or digits in a telephone number are reversed, or she thought they said can instead of cant make the meeting. If one of these mistakes costs the company an important contract, though, peoples patience will run out.

Also Check: Social Security Disability Attorney Utah

The Diagnosis And Testing Process For Learning Disabilities

Diagnosing a learning disability is a process. It involves testing, history taking, and observation by a trained specialist. Finding a reputable referral is important. Start with your childs school, and if they are unable to help you, ask your doctor or friends and family who have dealt successfully with learning disabilities.

Types of specialists who may be able to test for and diagnose learning disabilities include:

Sometimes several professionals coordinate services as a team to obtain an accurate diagnosis. They may also ask for input from your childs teachers.

How Are Adults Diagnosed With Ld

A specific learning disorder is diagnosed through a clinical review of the individuals developmental, medical, educational, and family history, reports of test scores and teacher observations, and response to academic interventions . The evaluator must be licensed to evaluate LD typically, LD evaluations are conducted by psychologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, licensed psychological counselors, or school psychologists.

Read Also: Can I Collect Va Disability While In The National Guard

Learning Disabilities And Live A Successful And Fulfilling Life

These difficulties can lead to problems at work, in relationships, and in other areas of life. However, there are ways to overcome learning disabilities and live a successful and fulfilling life.

• Understand your learning disability: Learning disabilities can vary in severity, so its important to get a clear understanding of yours

• Work with professionals to identify your specific difficulties and what accommodations may be necessary for you

• Get organized: One common challenge for people with learning disabilities is difficulty staying organized

• This can lead to missed deadlines, lost items, and frustration

• Create a system that works for you, whether its a physical planner or a digital calendar

• Write things down, set reminders, and break tasks into smaller steps to make them more manageable

• Take care of yourself: Its hard to focus on anything when youre not feeling your best

• Make sure to take care of your physical and mental health by getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly

• Consider talking to a therapist if youre struggling with anxiety or depression related to your learning disability

• Find supportive people: When dealing with any challenges in life, it helps to have supportive people around you

• Seek out family members, friends, or even online communities of others who have similar experiences as you do

• These relationships can provide a listening ear, advice, and encouragement when needed most

You Have A Short Attention Span

One of the biggest signs of a learning disability is a short attention span, which is often a sign of ADHD. It can affect you at work, where you might struggle with the issues I just mentioned above. But the lack of focus can also make you seem a bit despondent, and that can derail your relationships.

You May Like: Social Security Short Term Disability