Which statement best describes learning disabilities (LD) as a category of disabling conditions?

Which statement best describes learning disabilities (LD) as a category of disabling conditions?

• A. They are said not to be due to visual, hearing, or physical disabilities, mental retardation, or emotional disturbance.
• B. They are caused primarily by visual impairment.
• C. They are a temporary condition.
• D. They are the same as emotional disturbance.

Answer: (A)

Learning disabilities are defined as a category of disabling conditions characterized by difficulties in learning that are not caused by visual, hearing, or physical disabilities, mental retardation, or emotional disturbance. This exclusion matters because it explains why the label is used: the learning problems come from specific processing weaknesses rather than from these other, more general disabilities. In practice, it means a child’s challenges with reading, writing, or math aren’t explained by eyesight problems, hearing loss, a motor disability, an intellectual disability, or an emotional issue, but by distinct processing differences that affect academic skills. The idea that learning disabilities are caused primarily by visual impairment is not correct, nor is the notion that they are temporary, or that they are the same as emotional disturbance.

Learning disabilities are defined as a category of disabling conditions characterized by difficulties in learning that are not caused by visual, hearing, or physical disabilities, mental retardation, or emotional disturbance. This exclusion matters because it explains why the label is used: the learning problems come from specific processing weaknesses rather than from these other, more general disabilities. In practice, it means a child’s challenges with reading, writing, or math aren’t explained by eyesight problems, hearing loss, a motor disability, an intellectual disability, or an emotional issue, but by distinct processing differences that affect academic skills. The idea that learning disabilities are caused primarily by visual impairment is not correct, nor is the notion that they are temporary, or that they are the same as emotional disturbance.