(Click here for a more comprehensive checklist from the Learning Disabilities Association)
Do you suspect that you may have a Learning Disability?
Check below if any of these characteristics of students with learning disabilities describes you:
(You may want to print this out and fill it in...)
_____ Long term difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, grammatical usage, and/or using
numerical concepts in contrast with average or superior skills in other areas.
____ Excessive difficulty in learning a foreign language. Earned very poor grades in
this area.
_____ Is easily distracted by background noise or visual stimulation; has difficulty
concentrating.
_____ Confuses similar letters, numeral or words such as bad and dad, then or them,
b and d.
_____ Difficulty recalling common words; uses hands a lot and call things: "what-cha-
ma-call-it" or "thing-a-ma-jig".
_____ Takes two or three times longer to read than other people. Has to go back two
or three times to understand what was read.
_____ Verbal skills far exceed reading, spelling, and writing skills.
_____ Poor handwriting: inconsistent slants, shapes and sizes of letters. Mixes lower
and upper case letters and cursive and manuscript letters.
_____ Severe inability to spell or to recall irregularly spelled words.
_____ Difficulty with mathematical concepts including calculation, time and space.
_____ Difficulty taking notes and listening to lectures at the same time.
_____ Slowed processing of information: needs "think time" to respond to questions,
to retrieve information or to solve problems.
_____ Poor organizational skills, including organizing thoughts on a page.
_____ Severe difficulty reading multiple choice questions; easily confused by
double negatives.
If you checked 4-5 or more characteristics, you may wish to make an appointment with an LD Specialist
to find out more about the SMC Learning Disabilities Program. Call 310 434-4684 or come by MC 75.
(This checklist was developed by Dr. Arline Halper, coordinator, UCLA Learning Disabilities Program)