Not all people with a learning disability have difficulty with reading. In fact, those who have a learning disability and cannot read may have a form of dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that causes difficulties reading, writing, spelling, and math. It is not a learning difficulty in itself, but it can lead to a learning difficulty if left untreated.
Irlen syndrome is not a learning disability.
It's important to understand that there is no evidence that people with Irlen syndrome have learning disabilities. Those with the condition are not developmentally delayed or intellectually disabled. Instead, the symptoms of the condition, particularly hypersensitivity to light, impact the way that people with the condition learn.
Having a learning disability is a very specific diagnosis that involves a significant degree of impairment in the ability to learn.
Researchers say that irlen syndrome is genetically linked to a specific form of learning disability. It affects learning in subjects that require reading and writing, such as math, spelling, and science. Many people with irlen syndrome have difficulty understanding spatial relationships, even when there are no reading or writing demands involved. It is not clear how many people have irlen syndrome.
Irlen syndrome is an auditory processing disorder (APD).
The answer is no. While some people with the condition struggle with learning to read, write, speak, or listen, it’s not a learning disability. It’s actually a perceptual learning disorder. It’s not that the brain of a person with Irlen syndrome can’t learn; it’s that they have difficulty extracting meaning from the confusing and often conflicting information they’re constantly bombarded with.
An APD is a neurological condition that impairs the ability to process and understand auditory information and may cause difficulties with reading and writing in addition to listening.
About one in five children is affected by learning disabilities, including dyslexia. Researchers believe that the genes that cause dyslexia may also be the cause of Irlen syndrome. However, the symptoms of dyslexia and of the condition that causes it are not the same as those of Irlen syndrome. Because of the similarities between the two conditions, some irlenologists believe the two are linked. However, the research regarding whether or not dyslexia and irlen are related is still inconclusive.
It is not a psychological problem.
There is no specific learning disability that can cause difficulty reading. There are many possible causes of reading difficulty, but some are more likely to have a genetic cause than others. If you have a specific learning disability, it is likely that you developed it because of non-environmental factors.
With an APD, the brain is not able to process sounds correctly.
If you struggle to understand written language, or if you have difficulty remembering what you read or hear, you might have a learning disability known as dyslexia. A person with dyslexia might be able to read slowly, spell and write words with difficulty, or have difficulty remembering information. There are many possible reasons why dyslexia occurs, and it is not always genetic. It is estimated that between 15 and 20 percent of the population is dyslexic.
This may cause issues with the way sounds are perceived, making it difficult to understand speech.
There’s a lot of conflicting information about whether or not the symptoms of this condition are related to learning disabilities. While the symptoms are similar to learning disabilities, such as difficulty understanding written and spoken language, studies have shown that people with the condition process information differently. Without taking other factors into account, it’s challenging to determine if they have a learning disability or not.
Conclusion
The short answer is no, it is not. While there may be some overlaps between the symptoms of dyslexia and those of Irlen syndrome, a learning disability is not the same as dyslexia. A learning disability is a neurological impairment that affects a person’s learning ability. Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that is not caused by an intellectual disability or a neurological condition.
Related Links
How do you get tested for Irlen Syndrome?What is Irlen Syndrome NHS?