As described by the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, learning disabilities are demonstrated by:

• Impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning, in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning, as well as;
• Unexpectedly low academic achievement, or
• Average or above average achievement attained only at the expense of unrealistically high levels of effort and/or educational support.

"Learning disabilities are not a unitary construct. An individual can have one specific problem or constellation of problems. Moreover, learning disabilities do not manifest themselves in individuals in exactly the same way. Some learning disabilities can be mild, while others can be quite severe." ¹²

It is difficult to provide specific characteristics of learning disabilities because of the diverse ways they manifest in each individual. However, there are some general characteristics that may reside in learners who are enrolled in literacy programs. Some of the individuals practitioners work with may show some of the characteristics listed, however individuals must have a significant number of these characteristics in order for a learning disability to be present. At this point, practitioners may decide to refer the learner to a professional psychologist for assessment.

A person with learning disabilities may...

• Perform similar tasks differently from day to day
• Read well but not write well, or write well but not read well
• Be able to learn information presented in one way but not in another
• Have a short attention span, be impulsive, and/or be easily distracted
• Have difficulty telling or understanding jokes