Learning difficulty versus learning disability

In UK health services, a learning disability Learning disability A health term for finding it much harder to learn and to manage everyday tasks, starting in childhood. It is not the same as a learning difficulty at school. Read the full definition of Learning disability means significantly reduced ability to understand new information and to manage everyday tasks, starting before adulthood. In education, a learning difficulty Learning difficulty The legal phrase schools use when learning is much harder for a child than for most children their age. It does not mean low ability, and it is not the same as a learning disability. Read the full definition of Learning difficulty is far broader: it is the legal test for special educational needs, and it includes specific difficulties such as dyslexia in a child of any ability.

So dyslexia Dyslexia Dyslexia is a common learning difference that mainly affects reading and spelling. It does not affect how clever a child is. Read the full definition of Dyslexia is a learning difficulty and is not a learning disability, and a bright autistic child Identity-first language Saying autistic child rather than child with autism. Many autistic people prefer it: being autistic is part of who they are. Read the full definition of Identity-first language can have a learning difficulty at school while having no learning disability at all. Mixing the two up has real consequences: you can end up asking for the wrong assessment, or believing something about your child that is not true.

Two further traps. American websites use the words the other way round, so online reading can actively mislead. And Scotland uses a different umbrella again, additional support needs Additional support needs The term used in Scotland when a child needs extra support to get the most from school. A disability counts, but so do things like bereavement or being a young carer. Read the full definition of Additional support needs , which is broader than either.