Learning vs. Intellectual Disabilities
Learning disabilities affect how the brain processes information and one or more psychological processes that delay reading, writing, or mathematics. These disorders can determine how a brain acquires, organizes, retains, and uses information. The Cleveland Clinic (2024) explains, “Learning disabilities don’t affect intelligence and are different from intellectual disabilities. People with LDs have specific issues with learning but have an average or above-average IQ (intelligence quotient).” (para. 1). Intellectual disabilities limit intelligence and the ability to live independently, whereas learning disabilities do not affect intelligence.
St. Jude’s Health Care Services states, “An intellectual disability is not the same as a learning disability, and these two terms have very different meanings. An intellectual disability refers to when someone has a developmental disorder such as autism, whereas a learning disability refers to when someone has a learning disorder like Dyslexia.”(para.2). Dyslexia is a learning disability affecting the area of the brain that processes reading and language. The disorder involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds.
An individual with an intellectual disability has difficulty performing everyday tasks. People with an intellectual disability have an “IQ below 70 (the average IQ is 100), and they find daily living activities, social skills, and conceptual and practical skills difficult. These impairments develop before adulthood and can be caused by genetic conditions, issues during pregnancy, or environmental factors. Some examples of intellectual disabilities are autism, Down syndrome, and Fragile X syndrome.”(St. Judes Health Care Services, para.5). Those with learning disabilities can live independently. However, those with intellectual disabilities may need living assistance.
Individuals living with either learning or intellectual disabilities are nonetheless individuals and, therefore, have a right to choice. Those with learning disabilities have academic challenges and have the right to modified instruction. People with intellectual disabilities typically require higher levels of assistance but have the right to make their own decisions on how they are cared for. Echoing Hills honors an individual’s right to choose and provides person-centered care.
