LEARNING DISABILITIES:
MYTHS vs. TRUTHS


MYTH: Learning disabilities are not real disabilities.
TRUTH: Learning disabilities are well established as legitimate disorders in the scientific, medical, and educational communities.
MYTH: Learning disabilities can go away.
TRUTH: Learning disabilities do not disappear although they may range in expression and severity at different life stages.
MYTH: Students with LD have low intelligence or are slow learners.
TRUTH: By the DSM-IV definition a student with an LD has average to high average intelligence.
MYTH: If students with LD would just study harder or be exposed to more educational opportunities they would not have problems with learning.
TRUTH: Learning disabilities are neurological in origin. They do not arise from lack of exposure to life experiences, and, in fact, many LD students work harder than a non-LD student to meet the same expectations.
MYTH: All students with LD have the same learning problems.
TRUTH: There are many different learning disabilities; each requires different strategies for accommodation and management. A student can have more than one learning disability.
MYTH: Learning disabilities can be cured.
TRUTH: Learning disabilities are permanent conditions, but there are many methods for students to cope with these conditions.
MYTH: Making accommodations means lowering standards for students with disabilities.
TRUTH: Accommodations are designed to enable students with learning disabilities to meet existing standards and compensate for processing deficits.


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