Remember: Screening is only one piece of the puzzle - the results should not diagnose or assign a learning disability label

Discussion question

Many adults in literacy programs have difficulty with reading and writing skills and they often have low self-esteem. How do we determine when these learning difficulties represent a normal stage of learning a new skill and when they suggest the presence of a potential learning disability?

Possible discussion responses

Janet Johnston, the author of "The Road to Success," suggests that practitioners consider the following information when inquiring about potential learning disabilities:

• Valuable insight can be gained from viewing learners' educational histories
  • Did they experience similar challenges when they were younger?
  • Did they have any assessments?

• 
  If yes, then a potential learning disability may be part of the picture.

  • Did they leave school early due to personal or family reasons?
  • Did they move a lot, resulting in a frequent change of schools?

• 
  If yes, then maybe a lack of exposure to learning in general has resulted in their weak skill areas.

  • Does the learner appear intellectually capable in other respects but show little progress in one particular area that seems incongruent with what you might expect?

• 
  If yes, then a possible learning disability may be present.