Some of the common areas of difficulty for learners with organizational problems include:

• Takes longer to understand and respond to questions, but the quality of the answer is good
• Has difficulty giving clear, concise answers to simple questions
• Complains of having trouble focusing
• Needs rewording of questions
• Has trouble with attendance and follow through
• Difficulty completing assignments
• Difficulty organizing notebook
• Difficulty meeting deadlines
• Poor sense of elapsed time
• Either late or very early for appointments
• Difficulty knowing how much time is needed for tasks
• Difficulty organizing tasks - understanding the sequence of steps required to complete a task - may have difficulty cooking a meal, planning a party etc.
• Difficulty organizing space - closet, desk, cupboards
• Difficulty organizing, planning and managing in daily life and in the workplace. ⁶

Defining Intellectual Disability

Now that we have defined learning disability, here are two definitions of an intellectual disability:

Definition #1:

"An intellectual disability (also known as a developmental disability) is a life-long condition, manifested at birth or shortly thereafter, where people grow and develop more slowly than others because of limitations in intellectual functioning. Individuals may have difficulty understanding abstract concepts or adapting to some of the demands of daily life. This disability varies greatly between individuals and may or may not be accompanied by other physical conditions."⁷