Types of learning disabilities
that make writing a particular struggle

Knowing the types of learning disabilities that are most likely to cause students to struggle with writing is essential for anyone who is teaching writing.

Learning disabilities are neurological problems that interfere with the brain's information processing abilities. The problems show up in one or more types of learning blocks.

This page gives a short list of some types of learning disabilities whose symptoms often show up in students' writing.

1. Input (reception) disabilities

Some learning disabilities impeded information getting into the brain. We learn primarily through sight and hearing, so any brain disorder that interferes with vision or hearing can hamper learning.

An auditory recepion disorder makes it hard for a people to distinguish subtle differences in sounds (phonemes). They hear the sounds, but cannot distinguish, for example, a T sound from a D sound. Such problems are worse when there are many sounds clamouring for attention.

There are several different types of visual reception problems. In some, people cannot distinguish subtle shape differences in characters (graphemes). Some people reverse characters, mistaking a b for a d, for example.

Sometimes folks with visual perception disabilities have no trouble distinguishing isolated characters, but have problems dealing with a whole page of text. They may not be able to keep their place in text or make rows of characters line up. A student may not be able to use spell check, for example, because he may not perceive the words in their proper places.

2. Brain integration disorders

Before a person can use information, the brain has to shape the information. The brain's internal wiring can cause people to be unable to sequence information, leaving a student unable to determine what to do first.

Integration problems may also show up as difficulties with organization. Inability to keep track of their belongings or of time is a visible symptom of organizational problems.

Invisible symptoms of integration disorders include an inability to follow a pattern like the inverted pyramid, which organizes information in terms of the comprehensiveness of the ideas.

Other symptoms of brain integration disorders are inability to deal with abstract concepts. (Inability to deal with abstract concepts is also a charactertistic of pre-adolescents. Don't mistake normal cognitive development for a learning disability.)

3. Memory problems

Learning disabilities can interefere with working memory, short-term memory, or long-term memory.

If a disability interferes with working memory, a student may not be able to hang on to a thought long enough to put it into a paragraph.

If a disability interferes with short-term memory, a day after correctly answering questions about the its/it's distinction, the student may not be able to remember when to use its instead of it's.

A long-term memory disability could prevent a writer from remembering how to do a particular writing task from one paper to the next.

4. Expressive output problems

Writers not only have to get information into their heads and processed, they have to get information out on paper. The symptoms of expressive output problems could easily arise from other causes than learning disabilities, so it is particularly important not to slap a label on a student.

The writer may have difficulty with the motor skills required by writing and/or with the mental processes of organizing and wording a response.

Some types of learning disabilities particularly interfere with the person's ability to communicate in situations where a response is demanded. The person may, however, have little problem when allowed to initiate a message.

Implications for teaching writing

Even a cursory look at types of learning disabilities should show writing teachers two truths:

• Some behaviors labeled laziness, lack of motivation, or plain stupidity might actually be the result of a learning disability.

• Some problems labeled learning disabilities might actually be laziness, lack of motivation, emotional stress, a food allergy, or even plain stupidity.

If you don't know for sure what is causing a student's struggle with writing, focus on strategies for teaching someone who has that student's particular symptoms. You cannot go too far wrong that way; you may even do some good.

Deadlines can frazzle any student, but struggling writers are particular susceptible.Learn about teaching time-stress management.