A Guide to Language-Based Learning Disabilities

Children with a language-based learning disability (LBLD) may struggle with reading, spelling, speaking, and writing. Because so much of school depends on language, those struggles touch every subject. They have nothing to do with intelligence. Most students with an LBLD have average to above-average intelligence. What they need is the right teaching in a supportive place.

Difficulty or Disability?

The words are often used as if they mean the same thing, but they do not. A child may have trouble with language for many reasons, including:

• Economic, cultural, or environmental disadvantage
• Learning English as a second language
• A vision or hearing problem
• A motor disability
• Impaired cognitive function

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a language-based learning disability is not the result of these factors. It comes from a mix of neurobiological differences and environmental factors, such as the kind of instruction a child receives.

LBLD exists on a spectrum. One student may have small trouble sounding out words but understand well when reading or listening. Another may struggle in every area and need individual attention all day.

What About "Learning Difference"?

Many families and schools, including Gow, use the phrase "learning difference." It is warm and accurate, but it has no legal or medical definition. When you are seeking services or protections under IDEA or Section 504, the legally recognized term is "learning disability."

Signs to Watch For

Children with an LBLD may have trouble with reading, writing, speaking, listening, spelling, math, organization, self-regulation, social skills, attention, or memory.

Signs can appear in preschool, or not until middle school, high school, or even adulthood. As the language load grows and students are expected to work more independently, the struggle often becomes clearer. A student whose difficulty appears later may feel anxious, frustrated, or angry about school, and adults may mistake those feelings for typical teenage behavior.

Many students hide their struggles well. Strong speaking and discussion skills can mask weak reading comprehension. A student can reach middle or high school reading and writing at an elementary level, or reach college with middle school reading comprehension, without anyone noticing.

Common Types

Dyslexia

A difference in how the brain processes language that affects reading and comprehension. Students have trouble decoding words and hearing the individual sounds within them. Dyslexia can run in families.

Dysgraphia

Difficulty with writing. Writing may include misspelled or wrong words, and letters of uneven size and spacing.

Dyscalculia

Difficulty with arithmetic. Students may struggle to process numbers, do calculations, and remember math facts.

Auditory Processing Disorder

The ears hear normally, but the brain misreads what it receives. Students may mix up the order of sounds or have trouble picking out one sound from others.

Language Processing Disorder

A type of auditory processing disorder. Students struggle to attach meaning to the groups of sounds that make up words and sentences.

How an LBLD Is Diagnosed

A speech-language pathologist, child psychologist, or another licensed professional can test speech, language, communication, and thinking skills. Testing looks at whether a student can:

• Read and understand words and sentences
• Hear the sounds in words and sentences
• Break words into syllables or sounds
• Repeat strings of words, numbers, letters, or sounds

Schools That Specialize in LBLD

Some schools are built for students with language-based learning disabilities. Their teaching is direct, specific, and matched to each student. Teachers break learning into small steps, pair words with diagrams and pictures, and model the habits they want students to build.

Many public schools, especially well-funded ones, serve students with LBLD well. A private school that specializes in LBLD may be a better fit for a student who is not getting enough attention. Classes are usually smaller, with fewer students per teacher.

How Gow Can Help

The Gow School is a coed, college-preparatory boarding and day school for students in grades 5 through post-graduate with dyslexia and related language-based learning differences. Since 1926, we have helped students build the skills and confidence to succeed in college and beyond. We would love to help your child rediscover what they can do.