Learning Disabilities and How They Affect Undergraduate Students
- Daniel Lee
- Apr 2, 2024
- 4 min read
Since the year 2020, up to 15% of the school-aged population has been represented by students with Learning Disabilities (LD) (Grigorenko et al., 2020). These disabilities refer to a range of impairment that hinder an individual’s ability to acquire, store, or use information in different areas. This includes listening, speaking, writing, reading, and mathematics. The most common ones include dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. They are often accompanied by social skill deficits, emotional disorders, and behavioral disorders (Fletcher et al., 2019). These disorders are comorbidities, or conditions that are present at the same time as a primary issue, which is common in many psychological and cognitive disabilities. For example, those with dyslexia (a reading LD) tend to have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which is characterized by inattention and impulsivity (Grigorenko et al., 2020).
Causes of Learning Disabilities
When looking at the cause(s) of LD, many different attributes must be accounted for, as all LDs are caused by a mix of different factors. For example, abnormalities in certain brain structures are associated with certain LDs. There is a connection between reading (learning) disabilities and brain structures that are in charge of language, such as a larger planum temporale (or better known as Wernike’s area) in the left hemispher e of the brain. (L, 2011). In LDs related to math, it is presumed to be a cause of poor visual-spatial-motor organization, which is correlated to dysfunction found in the right hemisphere of the brain (Gaddes, 2011). To tackle the question of how these brain abnormalities occur, it must be looked at from both the genetic and environmental viewpoints. In terms of genes, though the level of heritability varies per LD, the most common ones all seem to be high in heritability (70-80%) (van Bergen, 2023). Though high heritability is linked with low environmental variance, it does not discredit the importance of the environment in this disorder.
Consequences to Undergraduates
While learning disabilities have a direct impact on the individual, they also create further problems in its interactions with society. This includes labeling, gatekeeping, and stigmatization, which contribute to the overall poorer long term vocational outcomes (Barga, 1996). There are many misunderstandings about LD which fuel the labeling and especially the stigmatization. A very common example of this would be: people with LDs have lower intelligence scores. To address this misassumpt, those with LD actually have an intelligence score of the average person, or even higher than the average person (Gaddes, 2011). Additionally, as students with LDs are high in comorbidity with behavioral and emotional disorders, they have the tendency to struggle with interpersonal relationships. Early childhood struggles with making friends create bad coping strategies and maladaptive habits (Barga, 1996). This creates an unhealthy cycle that further affects the students’ social life in school, inevitably hurting their mental health. However, there are interventions that can support students with LD to better study and improve their social and mental health.
Resources for Students
When seeking interventions for learning disabilities, there are many options to choose from. However, only so many are realistic for university undergraduates due to limitations on resources, such as time and money. Though it may differ slightly depending on what university you attend, accommodation services for students with LDs should be offered, providing the student with more time and learning resources for any classes or evaluations. Many classes also have note-taking services, which can provide the student with more support. A money-free way to improve productivity would also include the use of technology to compensate for certain learning difficulties. Examples of this include audiobooks and text-to-speech software that can be found on the web or on your mobile device.
Improving interpersonal relationships and bettering mental health may be a bit more difficult, but it is definitely possible. There are mental health services found within almost all schools, which are purposefully made accessible both online or offline. This provides a comfortable environment where the individual can address any issues or challenges they are facing, regarding their university life. It is also helpful to undergo emotional and social skill training, which can provide strategies for successful social interaction and boost one’s confidence (Grigorenko, 2020).
References
Barga, N. K. (1996). Students with learning disabilities in Education. Journal of Learning
Disabilities, 29(4), 413–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/002221949602900409
Fletcher, J., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L., & Barnes, M. A. (2019). Learning disabilities: From
identification to intervention. The Guilford Press.
Gaddes, W. H., & Edgell, D. (2011). Learning disabilities and brain function: A
neuropsychological approach. Springer.
Grigorenko, E. L., Compton, D. L., Fuchs, L. S., Wagner, R. K., Willcutt, E. G., & Fletcher, J. M.
(2020). Understanding, educating, and supporting children with specific learning disabilities:
50 years of Science and practice. American Psychologist, 75(1), 37–51.
Bernice Wong, Lorraine Graham, Maureen Hoskyn, & Jeanette Berman. (2011). The abcs
of learning disabilities. Academic Press.
Van Bergen, E., de Zeeuw, E., Hart, S. A., Boomsma, D., de Geus, E., & Kan, K. J. (2023, July
26). Comorbidity and causality among ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia.
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