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 don’t 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:
A child with a learning disability also may have one or more of the following1:
Acting without really thinking about possible outcomes (impulsiveness)
“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.
Each learning disability has its own signs. A person with a particular disability may not have all of the signs of that disability.
Children being taught in a second language may show signs of learning problems or a learning disability. The learning disability assessment must take into account whether a student is bilingual or a second language learner. In addition, for English-speaking children, the assessment should be sensitive to differences that may be due to dialect, a form of a language that is specific to a region or group.
Below are some common learning disabilities and the signs associated with them:
People with dyslexia usually have trouble making the connection between letters and sounds and with spelling and recognizing words.2
People with dyslexia often show other signs of the condition. These may include3,4:
Having a hard time understanding what others are saying
Difficulty organizing written and spoken language
Delay in being able to speak
Difficulty expressing thoughts or feelings
Difficulty learning new words (vocabulary), either while reading or hearing
Trouble learning foreign languages
Difficulty learning songs and rhymes
Slow rate of reading, both silently and out loud
Giving up on longer reading tasks
Difficulty understanding questions and following directions
Poor spelling
Problems remembering numbers in sequence (for example, telephone numbers and addresses)
Trouble telling left from right
A child who has trouble writing or has very poor handwriting and does not outgrow it may have dysgraphia. This disorder may cause a child to be tense and twist awkwardly when holding a pen or pencil.5
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