What’s the difference between a learning disability and a learning difficulty?

People often think that learning disability and learning difficulty mean the same thing. But they don’t. 

You often see the terms used wrongly in news stories. So it’s not surprising that people get them confused. Unfortunately this contributes to a lack of understanding about people with learning disabilities, the challenges they face and the help they need.

It is important to understand the difference.

What is a learning difficulty?

Learning difficulties are where a person has learning challenges in an area of their life.

For example, people with dyslexia have problems with reading, writing and spelling.

People with dyscalculia have difficulties with understanding numbers.

A person might have a mild learning difficulty or a severe learning difficulty.

A learning difficulty affects someone’s learning in a specific way. It does not affect someone’s general intellect.

What is a learning disability? 

A learning disability impacts someone’s whole life.  A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability, which makes it difficult for someone to learn new things, take in new information, and do everyday tasks.

People with learning disabilities take longer to learn things and usually require support. They also find it harder to understand complex information, socialise and manage their lives independently.

Learning disabilities can be mild, moderate or severe. The level of support and the kind of support someone needs will be different from person to person.

Some people will need a bit of help with complicated tasks, such as filling in forms. Other people will need 24-hour-support to live their lives. They may have more than one disability and find it very difficult to communicate.

Associated conditions 

If a person has certain health conditions, they are more likely to have a learning disability:

• Down’s Syndrome
• Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome
• Williams Syndrome
• Fragile X Syndrome
• Global Development Delay
• Cerebral Palsy

People are not their disability 

People with learning disabilities are unique human beings and should not be defined by their disability. They are family members, friends, sportspeople, artists, activists, gardeners, gamers, comedians and much more.

We support over 400 people with learning disabilities and autism each year.

We raise money for children and adults with learning disabilities who get little or no support in their life. We support many people through our free to use services, our Community Hub and with our Family Support Service. 

By donating, you can help people with learning disabilities to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives, as part of their community.