Also called: Learning differences · Learning disorders
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are conditions that affect the ability to learn. They can cause problems with:
- Understanding what people are saying
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
- Doing math
- Paying attention
Often, children have more than one kind of learning disability. They may also have another condition, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This can make learning even more of a challenge. The sooner a learning disability is identified and addressed, the better a child is likely to perform in school.
Learning disabilities don't have anything to do with how smart your child is. They are caused by differences in the brain, and they affect the way the brain takes in and uses information. These differences are usually present at birth. But there are certain factors that can play a role in the development of a learning disability, including:
- Genetics
- Environmental exposures, such as lead
- Using substances while pregnant
The earlier you can find and treat a learning disability, the better. Unfortunately, learning disabilities are usually not found until a child is in school. If you notice that your child is struggling, talk to your child's teacher or health care provider about having your child evaluated for a learning disability. The evaluation may include:
- Doing a physical exam to check for a medical problem that might make learning more difficult.
- Asking about your family history.
- Test your child's intellectual and school performance.
The most common treatment for learning disabilities is special education. A teacher or other learning specialist can help your child learn skills by building on their strengths and finding ways to make up for their weaknesses. They may suggest ways you can help your child when they do homework. Instructors may try special teaching methods, make changes to the classroom, or use technologies that can assist your child's learning needs. Some children also get help from tutors or speech or language therapists.
A child with a learning disability may struggle with low self-esteem, frustration, and other problems. Mental health professionals can help your child understand these feelings, develop coping tools, and build healthy relationships.
If your child has another condition, such as ADHD, they will need treatment for that condition as well.
It sits within Children and Teenagers and Mental Health and Behavior.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Learning Disabilities
566 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Perinatal Autism Genetics and Epigenetics StudyUniversity of Iowa
- Health Engagement & Access Through Learning, Training, and Health-coaching With People With Intellectual and/or Developmental DisabilitiesUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison
- Studying Childhood-onset Behavioral, Psychiatric, and Developmental DisordersNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Investigating Individual Differences in Speech Motor Skills in Neurotypical Speakers and Persons With Disordered SpeechBoston University Charles River Campus
- Home Play-based Intervention for Parents and InfantsNanyang Technological University
- Validating a Neurocognitive Remediation Model for Visual-Attentional Pathway in Chinese Developmental DyslexiaThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Research already completed
- Microbiome-Based Risk Prediction of SARS-CoV-2 in Children and Families (PREDICOL)Spanish National Research Council
- Online Learning Module to Advance Research Related to People With DisabilitiesAlbert Einstein College of Medicine
- Awareness Of Home Accident Preventıon Among Parents Of Disabled Children And Evaluation Of The Basic First Aid Training ProvidedKayseri University
- Effects of Developmental Support for Mothers of Infants With Spinal Muscular AtrophyMedipol University
- Neurobiology of Language Recovery in Aphasia: Natural History and Treatment-Induced RecoveryNorthwestern University
- Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder During Book ReadingPurdue University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- About Learning DisabilitiesEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia: Helping Kids with Learning Disorders ThriveAmerican Academy of Pediatrics
- Learning DisabilitiesEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- What Are Some Signs of Learning Disabilities?Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Symptoms
- Keeping Up in School? Identifying Learning ProblemsNational Institutes of Health
Diagnosis and Tests
- How Are Learning Disabilities Diagnosed?Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Treatments and Therapies
- What Are the Treatments for Learning Disabilities?Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Related Issues
- Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)Nemours Foundation
Genetics
- 47,XYY syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Aarskog-Scott syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Smith-Kingsmore syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Triple X syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Statistics and Research
- Estimated Prevalence of Children with Diagnosed Developmental Disabilities in the United States, 2014-2016National Center for Health Statistics
- NICHD Learning Disabilities Research InformationEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: DyslexiaNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Learning DisabilitiesNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Learning Disabilities. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Learning Disabilities, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.