‘Specific learning differences’ (SpLDs) are natural variations in the way the brain develops, leading to some individuals perceiving the world and processing information in a relatively unusual way. This is often referred to as neurodiversity.
The most commonly identified SpLDs are dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, developmental language difference, AD(H)D and autism, although the term can also be extended to include other cognitive differences such as Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, stammering, and even Prosopagnosia (‘face-blindness’).
Dyslexia
(May affect up to 12% of the general population, to some degree).
Key characteristics:
- an unusual way of processing information, particularly phonological information,
- the ability (or tendency) to make unusual connections between ideas,
- issues with memory, especially auditory memory and working memory,
- slower-than-typical speed of processing,
- issues with organisation – both of ideas and daily activities.
Organisations that offer information and support:
Dyspraxia
(May affect up to 10% of the general population to some degree).
Key characteristics:
- issues with the timing and sequencing of movements, which can affect fine-motor control and/or gross motor control and balance,
- sequencing generally may be weaker-than-typical,
- spatial awareness can be compromised, making judging distances difficult,
- temporal awareness (sense of time passing) can be weaker, making it difficult to estimate how long tasks might take,
- slower-than-typical speed of processing.
Organisations that offer information and support:
Dyscalculia
(May affect about 5% of the general population, to some degree).
Key characteristics:
- a weak sense of numerical concepts, including 0, place values, relative values / size / magnitude and time scales,
- difficulty with sequencing (especially counting backwards, counting in intervals etc.),
- difficulty estimating, or judging whether a given result could be ‘in the right ball park’,
- a reliance on concrete objects to judge amounts and quantities, rather than imagining abstract quantity,
- difficulty with complex procedures, especially those involved in mathematical calculations.
Organisations that offer information and support:
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
(May affect around 1% of the general population, to some degree).
Key characteristics:
- a difficulty with acquiring a first language - both understanding and speaking,
- a smaller vocabulary than is typical,
- a preference for simple sentences and grammatical constructions,
- difficulty with semantic classification and relationships,
- phonological processing difficulties.
For more information and support, see:
Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD(H)D)
(May affect 4% - 6% of the general population, to some degree)
Key characteristics:
- issues with maintaining focus and directing attention,
- restlessness,
- impulsiveness,
- hyperactivity may be present at some stage of life, in the majority of cases,
- may appear as day-dreaming, or ‘tuning out’,
- difficulty regulating emotions.
Organisations that offer information and support:
Autism
(May affect 1% - 3% of the general population, to some degree)
Key characteristics:
- differences in the interpretation and processing of sensory input, including interoception (internal signal from the body),
- difficulty interpreting other people’s words and behaviour, including facial expressions and gestures,
- a preference for facts and concrete ideas,
- a strong preference (need) for routine and predictable situations,
- difficulty forming and maintaining personal relationships.
Organisations that offer information and support:
Having a SpLD is not necessarily a difficulty in itself, although neurodivergent people often do experience barriers in terms of functioning within the constraints of our society. A person who is identified as having one SpLD often has traits of others, to greater or lesser degrees. However, the exact degree of co-occurrence in any individual is hard to measure precisely because of the overlap of common characteristics.