What are Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)?

We often hear the acronym SLD mentioned in schools, but it’s not always clear what it actually means. It refers to Specific Learning Disorders, which include several diagnostic categories: dyslexia, dysorthographia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia (Consensus Conference Roma, 2010). The main characteristic of these disorders is that they are specific, meaning they affect particular skills while leaving others intact. More specifically:

• DYSLEXIA manifests as difficulty learning to read, particularly in decoding written language, i.e. in reading accuracy and speed;

• DYSGRAPHIA manifests as difficulty with handwriting;

• DYSORTHOGRAPHIA manifests as difficulty in language transcoding processes;

• DYSCALCULIA manifests as difficulty with automatic calculation and number processing.

To obtain these diagnoses, clinical and anamnestic assessments must be carried out by multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals, such as neuropsychologists, speech therapists, and neuropsychiatrists.

SLDs are recognized under Italian Law 170/2010, which protects the rights of people with SLD both in school and university settings. To ensure inclusion, various tools are offered, chosen and tailored to the needs of the individual. These can be divided into compensatory tools, which involve the use of external supports such as outlines, mind maps, computers, and calculators, and dispensatory measures, which generally involve reducing the study or exercise workload. By using these tools, children and young people with SLD can achieve the same results as their peers. This should be the ultimate goal, in order to avoid marginalization and school dropout. To achieve this goal, teamwork between family, school, and other professionals involved is essential. For years I have worked supporting study methods as a learning disorder tutor, a role that involves helping students become familiar with the tools available and find the right strategies to meet school demands, boosting self-esteem and self-efficacy. Feel free to contact me for more information!