Indicators of a POSSIBLE learning disability

• If the learner received special assistance in school, especially in reading, writing, spelling and/or math, this may indicate a learning disability OR low intellectual abilities.
• If the learner's academic history shows grade and/or course failure(s), this may indicate either a learning disability OR low intellectual ability.
• If the learner reports that at one time he or she worked hard but was not achieving, this may indicate either low ability OR a learning disability. The same is true if the learner left school because of frustration and low achievement.
• The learner's likes and dislikes of certain subjects may be an indication of a learning disability. For example, is the student's success in language-based subjects, such as history, geography and English? Does the learner avoid or have low marks in these subjects because of the reading/writing emphasis but is successful in mechanical and/or activity-based subjects such as shops, physical education and art?
• The learner may have been previously diagnosed as having a learning disability. It may have been termed dyslexia, a perceptual handicap, minimal brain dysfunction, language disabilities or attention-deficit disorder but is likely an indication of some kind of learning disability.
• Sometimes, adults with learning disabilities have been wrongly designated as "slow learners" and "delayed learners". If this is the case with learners you encounter, you should ignore the label and continue to check for evidence of a learning disability.
• Conversely, some adults may have been designated as having a learning disability when in fact, the actual problem may be a more generalized intellectual disability

Not likely indicators of a learning disability

• If the adult has poor basic skills and has attended a number of different schools, or has had gaps in education due to illness or other reasons, this may indicate inadequate learning opportunities, not a learning disability.
• If the adult reports lack of interest and effort during his schooling, resulting in poor achievement, this probably does not indicate a learning disability.
• If the adult indicates significant abuse of drugs or alcohol during his schooling, this probably interfered with his availability for learning and may indicate an alternative reason for school difficulties.