The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) characterizes learning disabilities as disorders in various academic and cognitive areas. The most widely recognized learning disabilities are problems with reading, writing, math, reasoning, listening, and speaking. The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) has a similar definition to IDEA but adds that a learning disability can coincide with other disabilities or extrinsic factors, but is not the result of those conditions or factors (Taylor et al., 2009). Prevalence Nearly 41% of students served under IDEA fall into the category of having a learning disability as this is the largest classification of disabilities (Taylor et al., 2009). Within this category, 3.5% of students …show more content…
These characteristics include the areas of reading, mathematics, written expression, receptive and expressive language, cognition, and social/emotional. With estimates as high as 90%, problems with reading are the most commonly reported academic problem for students with learning disabilities (Taylor et al., 2009). Some common reading problems associated with learning disabilities are dyslexia, phonological awareness, rapid automatic naming, word recognition, and reading comprehension. Another area of difficulty for students with learning disabilities is mathematics. Students may experience problems with calculation, math facts, problem-solving, and understanding of math concepts. In the area of written expression, students have difficulty with handwriting, spelling, and written language. Cognitively, students with learning disabilities may demonstrate attention problems, difficulty with working memory, and trouble knowing when and how to use strategies that help with remembering. Finally, social skills deficits are observed in about one-third of all students with learning disabilities (Taylor et al.,