LD Blog

The headline for an article—Health: Is ADD A Learning Disability?—caught my eye. The author, Sarah K. Jenkins, started out on the right foot, but then got it wrong. Here’s her first paragraph.

Attention Deficit Disorder, in itself, is not a learning disability. The term “learning disability” typically refers to a perceptual disability, such as an auditory or visual processing disorder, like autism or dyslexia. A person with ADD, however, has no problems perceiving or interpreting information. Therefore, it does not qualify as a learning disability.

I wondered for a moment if she might be using “LD” in the way that it is used in the UK, but decided quickly that it wasn’t, as there was no mention of IQ or retardation.

Link to Ms. Jenkins’ article. (Beware: Lots of flashing advertisements!)