One of the main reasons that it is very important to distinguish between these two groups is because learning is such a unique process. What might work for one learner does not always work for another. There is no one size that fits all when it comes to learning. Many professionals who work in the field of learning disabilities stress how vital it is for a learning disability to be looked at as a specific disability and not be grouped with other disabilities. Some would go as far to say that individuals with learning disabilities should be treated with complete autonomy from other individuals with disabilities.

Terminology

In fact, the definitions of "learning disabilities" and "intellectual disabilities" may be very different for many people. For the purpose of clarity, we would like to use the term intellectual disability where many literacy practitioners may use the term developmental disability. The two terms are often used interchangeably but we believe that intellectual disability describes the population that we wanted to refer to in this tool because we are focusing on comparing cognitive abilities.

In this next section, we would like to make clear the definitions of learning disability and intellectual disability as referred to by well-known organizations in their respective fields, particularly as they are defined here in Canada.

Defining Learning Disabilities

In this section we are going to spend some time talking about the prevailing definitions of Learning Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities. This is to help practitioners potentially identify learners in LBS programs and provide appropriate teaching strategies for them. This workshop is not designed to diagnose LBS learners with intellectual disabilities or learning disabilities. In fact, we caution participants about using these terms while interacting with learners. It is probably sufficient to talk to learners about their strengths and weaknesses and not about whether they are learning disabled or intellectually disabled.