Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and ADHD
Commingling, confounding, confusing
According to the DSM-5, 5-15% of children have a SLD. [American: 2015] Thirty-three percent of children with SLDs also have ADHD.[Margari: 2013] A notable proportion of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability (SLD), with approximately 45% co-morbidity rates. [DuPaul: 2013]
Differential diagnosis of ADHD and SLD
Parents and teachers often report that effective medication treatment of ADHD results in improved reading fluency and accuracy, handwriting, on-task behavior, and overall “availability” to learn. If the child is putting in good effort and has good educational and parent support, but is still struggling academically after ADHD medications are administered, the presence of a SLD should be considered. In a study of children with hard to treat ADHD or with ADHD and co-morbid conditions, 50% were found to have an SLD. [Koolwijk: 2014] If there is a family history of SLD, then it is important to assess for the presence of a SLD when first assessing for ADHD.
Assessment
The public school system is another resource for assessments when a full neuropsychological evaluation is not available. The school system can administer psychoeducational testing including I.Q. and achievement testing. The public school system has traditionally identified learning disabilities through the “Discrepancy Model.” For instance, if the child’s I.Q. score is greater than their achievement score by a certain number of points determined by a formula specific to each state, then a Learning Disability is identified. Since 2004, however, school districts are allowed to use alternative methods such as documenting ongoing underachievement as a means of determining if a student will qualify for special services due to a learning disability. For example, a number of school systems use “Response to Intervention” (RTI) to systematically monitor for a child’s response to a set of classroom interventions, and to provide additional evaluation if the classroom interventions are not sufficient to enable the child’s performance to improve.
Treatment
Resources
Information & Support
For Professionals
A Comprehensive Resource Guide about Learning Disabilities for the Pediatric Professional Community & Parents
Provides guidance about screening, diagnosing, and supporting children with learning disabilities and their families; a joint
effort of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association
of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
For Parents and Patients
Support
National Center for Learning Disabilities
Support and advocacy group for individuals with learning disabilities and their families. Links to additional information
Understood for Learning & Attention Issues
An organization providing resources to young adults, parents, and teachers of children with different learning styles and
attention disorders. Focusses on an initiative to create inclusive workplaces by developing and implementing best-in-class
disability inclusion programs so they can hire, advance, and retain people with disabilities.
General
Parental Rights under IDEA
For the majority of parents, the most relevant procedural safeguards under IDEA are identified on the Center for Parent Information
& Resources website. Dated Oct. 5, 2017. Also in Spanish.
IDEA Parent Guide (National Center for Learning Disabilities) ( 1.1 MB)
A comprehensive guide for parents on rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA
2004). Helps parents determine if their child might be eligible for services, what kind of services to expect, how to request
an evaluation, how to develop a plan for services, and what their legal rights are. (105 pages, 2014)
Services for Patients & Families Nationwide (NW)
Service Categories | # of providers* in: | NW | Partner states (6) (show) | | ID | MT | NM | NV | RI | UT | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Counseling Services | 1 | 201 | 146 | 96 | 174 | 32 | 456 | ||||
Neuropsychiatry/Neuropsychology | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 11 |
For services not listed above, browse our Services categories or search our database.
* number of provider listings may vary by how states categorize services, whether providers are listed by organization or individual, how services are organized in the state, and other factors; Nationwide (NW) providers are generally limited to web-based services, provider locator services, and organizations that serve children from across the nation.
Page Bibliography
American Psychiatric Association .
Neurodevelopmental Disorders .
American Psychiatric Association ; (2015)
http://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425.... Accessed on 2/2015.
Barkley R.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment.
Fourth ed. New York: Guilford Press;
2014.
9781462517725
DuPaul GJ, Gormley MJ, Laracy SD.
Comorbidity of LD and ADHD: implications of DSM-5 for assessment and treatment.
J Learn Disabil.
2013;46(1):43-51.
PubMed abstract
Koolwijk I, Stein DS, Chan E, Powell C, Driscoll K, Barbaresi WJ.
"Complex" attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, more norm than exception? Diagnoses and comorbidities in a developmental
clinic.
J Dev Behav Pediatr.
2014;35(9):591-7.
PubMed abstract
Lovett BJ, Sparks RL.
The identification and performance of gifted students with learning disability diagnoses: a quantitative synthesis.
J Learn Disabil.
2013;46(4):304-16.
PubMed abstract
Margari L, Buttiglione M, Craig F, Cristella A, de Giambattista C, Matera E, Operto F, Simone M.
Neuropsychopathological comorbidities in learning disorders.
BMC Neurol.
2013;13:198.
PubMed abstract / Full Text
U.S. Department of Education.
IDEA Title IA602(30).
(2015)
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,statute,I,A,602,30,. Accessed on Feb. 2015.