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Medical Author:

Neelkamal S Soares, MD, MBBS, FAAP

Medical Editor:

Elizabeth A Finley-Belgrad, MD

Medical Editor:

Mary L Windle, PharmD

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Learning disabilities, or LDs, is an "umbrella" term given to a group of different conditions which include difficulties in performing certain academic-related tasks despite having the intelligence, opportunity, motivation and schooling to do so. They affect life in educational, job related, or social arenas. Learning disabilities currently affect nearly 2.9 million students receiving special education services in the United States.

Although dyslexia (reading disorder) is the most common and most widely known learning disability, there are several others including math disability, disability with written expression (writing), disability with oral expression (speaking), disorder of verbal comprehension (understanding), and disorder of pragmatic/non-verbal skill (socialization). We do not know exactly how often these other disorders occur, however some evidence estimates they occur in around five to six percent of the population as well. There is considerable overlap with people with dyslexia and these other disorders.