Is it true that people with learning disabilities usually have average to above average intelligence? If so,?

Question

then why do so many people use the terms learning disabled and mentally retarded interchangeably?

Answer 1

People use them interchangeably because most of them aren't informed.  Mental retardation is the idea that someone's mental capacity is slowed -- or retarded.  Even learning disabled means that they have problems learning.  

Autism is not a learning disability or mental retardation.  It is a social complex.  Some people with Autism are also 'slow' and have retardation.  Some are what is considered "savant."

Of course, some people use "retarded" because they are trying to make themselves look smarter than someone else.

Answer 2

This is not always true.  People with learning disabilities may have average intelligence and many do not.  Some have one extraordinary talent (savants) while being profoundly disabled in all other areas.

These terms are technically not interchangeable, but socially, they do tend to be, as many do not see any difference.

Learning disabled can mean that a person has only one major problem (as with dyslexia) or a range of disabilities (such as autism).  LD is a more "politically correct" phrase.

Answer 3

There isn't much agreement about what a learning disability is, but they should be distinguished from low IQ kids because they pick up most things quickly, except in their unique area of weakness.  

For instance, I tutor a student who has a rich vocabulary and quickly grasps most concepts, but when faced with the task of reading words, this seventh grader can't match the performance of most first graders at the end of their first year of reading.  That's what I call a disability.  Intensive, one-on-one instruction has yielded significant gains, but the remedy is not as effective with older kids as with younger, before they learn a host of inefficient, self-taught coping strategies.

Answer 4

Yes, it is true that people with learning disabilities have average to above average intelligence.

People use the two terms interchangeably because they are uneducated. Many regular ed teachers are uneducated in that respect, as well.

I suppose it is so incongruent in most people's minds that a student can be so intelligent but reads "who" for "how", "of" instead of "for", or some days cannot add 10 + 2 , or cannot spell "the" but can spell "elephant". Learning disabilities manifest themselves most often in the areas of reading, writing, and/or math. There are some other lesser areas, but those are the most common. Some days these students are on and some days they are off. That makes understanding extremely difficult.

Some states use the 15 point discrepancy rule to assign the Learning Disabled category where you subtract the subject achievement scores from the IQ score. Occasionally, a student will fall into that category but is not truly LD (average to above average intelligence). Also, if a student is learning disabled he/she will always be learning disabled and not test out of the category at a reevaluation.

To be successful an LD student must learn to recognize strategies for learning and retention that work for him/her. It helps when someone works closely with him/her to suggest alternate strategies or tweak them, and point out the need to reflect on what works.

LD is most recently being studied as a neurological disorder.

Mental retardation is described as a condition that is diagnosed before age 18, and includes below-average general intellectual function, accompanied by impairment in the person’s ability to acquire the skills necessary for daily living. Autism is a developmental brain disorder and a spectrum disorder with a range of severe to mild. Asperger's victims are at the upper end of the autistic spectrum and many of them are the scientists of the world.

Answer 5

If you're talking dyslexia/dyscalculia/dysgraphia... it can be either one. I saw people talking about autism in the previous few questions--autism is associated with learning disabilities big-time. Knew one autistic kid who was in third grade when I met him... Doing math at a first-grade level (dyscalculia) and reading at a high school level (giftedness). Overall IQ must've been 130, 140 maybe... pretty smart kid, but actually behind in math. By the time we were in high school he was writing better than his teachers and only a year behind in math--which only meant, with the giftedness, that he only got to algebra 2 instead of trig. Not that he didn't have to work his butt off getting to that level... Of course the autism meant that he still had the social skills of about a six year old, but I figure he'll become an engineer and be OK. Kind of like what I'm doing. :)

Answer 6

There are many people that do learning disabilities and have higher than average IQs. Here are just a few examples:

1) ANDERSON Hans Christian, Denmark's most famous author(writer). His fairy tales are among the most widely read works in world literature

2) ANDERSON Harry, Actor who played Judge Stone on Night Court has attention deficit disorder and has managed to con and charm his way through school. He had an extraordinary memory and could remember anything at 16. He was Valedictorian but, he could barely read to rehearse his lines. He is also a magician and writer.

3) BELL Alexander Graham, An American inventor and educator. Best known for his invention of the telephone.

4) CHER [Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre], Her success in music, movies, television, and on stage over nearly four decades qualifies her as one of the most enduring entertainers of our time.

5) CRUISE Tom Actor. Born in Syracuse NEW YORK. His mother taught children who had dyslexia and other learning disabilities. She herself had dyslexia as did all her children. At age 11 his parents divorced and he and his sisters and mother lived in poverty in Kentucky. When he was 16 his mother remarried and his family moved to Glen Ridge NJ. He auditioned for a role in his school play and got it. Once he broke into movies other roles followed in quick succession. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1996

6) DA VINCI Leonardo, One of the greatest painters and most versatile geniuses in history. He was one of the key figures of the Renaissance era. He was trained as a painter but he had other interests that he dealt with over the years. Many of his inventions and scientific ideas were centuries ahead of his time.

7) DISNEY Walt, American cartoonist, producer. Introduced Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie 1928. Won 29 Oscars, Opened Disneyland 1955, creating family entertainment empire.

8) EINSTEIN Albert, Was one of the greatest scientists of all time. Best known for his theory of relativity

9) EISENHOWER Dwight D., 34th President of the United States. Leader of the victorious Allied forces in Europe during World War II.

10) FORD Henry, Leading manufacturer of American automobiles in the early 1900’s. Established the Ford Motor Company which revolutionized the automobile industry with assembly line method of production.

11) GLOVER Danny, American actor, starred in Places in the Heart 1984, The Color Purple 1985, trilogy of Lethal weapon 1987-1992

12) GOLDBERG Whoopi American actor and comedian. Star of film The Color Purple 1985, Ghost for which she won an Oscar, 1991, Eddie 1996. 1993 received the Woman of the Year Award from Howard University. Hasty Pudding Theatricals Organization. Won People's Choice Award 1993 and 1994

13) JEFFERSON Thomas, Third President of the United States 1801-1809 and author of the Declaration of Independence. Remembered as a great president, a diplomat, political thinker, and founder of the Democratic Party. Reported to have many learning difficulties.

14) KENNEDY John F., 35th President of the United States. Was the youngest man ever elected President. He was also the youngest ever to die in office. He won world respect as the leader of the Free World.

15) KENNEDY Robert, Served as Attorney General of the United States from 1961-1964 and as U.S. Senator from New York from 1965-1968.

16) PASTEUR Louis, Scientist who made major contributions to chemistry, and medicine industry that greatly benefited humanity. He was a great theoretical scientist.

17) PATTON George, Old Blood and Guts. American Army General commanded the 3rd Army, War World II, leader in Battle of The Bulge 1944.

18) ROCKEFELLER Nelson, Vice President of the United States from 1974-1977. He was severely dyslexic. He filled a vacancy that was created when Vice President, Gerald Ford succeeded Richard Nixon who had resigned as President.

19) SCHWAB Charles, Founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Charles Schwab Corporation, a brokerage firm. In 1974 he became a pioneer in the discount brokerage business

20) SHAW George Bernard, British playwright, critic, and essayist. Became one of the most famous writers of the 1900’s. Was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Wrote 50 plays in a 70 year career.

21) STALLONE Sylvster, Won stardom with his movie Rocky. He is one of the world’s highest paid actors, commanding $20 million a picture.

22) VERNE Jules, French novelist who wrote some of the first science fiction stories. He forecast the invention of air planes, submarines, television, guided missiles, and space satellites and he predicted their uses accurately. He wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea 1870.

23) VON BRAUN Werner, He regularly failed his high school math examinations, but was often caught day-dreaming (due to his attention deficit disorder) of one day flying to other planets. Led development of V-2 missiles for Germany during World War II, directed post World War II rocket research in United States.

24) WAGNER Lindsay, Only science-fiction woman ever to win best actress Emmy, 1976-1978 for Bionic Woman. Television films include This Child Is Mine 1985

25) WASHINGTON George, 1st President of the United States. Was unable to spell throughout his life and his grammar usage was very poor. Thought to have learning disabilities

26) WILLIAMS Robin, Actor/comedian who has been diagnosed with ADHD, starred in television’s Mork and Mindy, 1978-1982, won Grammy 1979 for album Reality What A Concept, films include Good Morning, Vietnam 1987 and The Birdcage 1996.

27) WILSON Woodrow, 28th President of the United States from 1913-1921 who is known to have a (learning disability) (dyslexia). World War I leader awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Versailles Treaty, 1919, domestic reforms included 1914 creation of Federal Reserve.,

28) WINKLER Henry, American actor, director and producer. Has ADD. He was at the bottom 3% in the county in math. Played Fonzie on television series Happy Days 1974-1984.

29) WRIGHT Brothers - Wilbur/ Orville, Invented and built the first successful airplane. On December 17 1903 they made the world’s first flight in a power-driven, heavier-than air machine near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

The two are used interchangeably because everyone automatically assume that people that are learning disabled are also "retarded." The list that I provided proves that the "Learning disabled retards" can be just as smart, if not much smarter than the "normal" person.

Answer 7

They don't use these terms interchangeably.  My children have learning disabilities but also have IQ in the genius range.  Everyone is an individual and is made up differently

Answer 8

when kids are tested for special ed. they are given an IQ test and achievement tests in reading, math, written language, academic fluency, etc.  100 is the average IQ, 85 is low average and 115 is high average.  So...lets say that a person has an IQ of 106, and the standard score in reading is 98 and the score in written language is 96, but the score in math is 87.  When you subtract 87 from 106 you have 19 points between the IQ and the standard score.  Whenever there are 19 points or more difference in any academic area, the person is considered to be learning disabled in that area.

Now, when someone is mentally retarded, they will have an IQ below 70 and their scores in math, reading, written language and academic fluency will be around the same or lower...math might be 71, reading might be 65, etc.  Notice that there is not much of a differnce between IQ and standard scores, there is NO learning disability, that person is doing as much as they can, they are almost level with their IQ. Learning disabled and Mentally retarded are NOT interchangeable, there is a BIG difference between the two.