Learning Disabilities Statistics and Prevalence

Learning disabilities statistics and prevalence inform us all that learning disabilities are surprisingly common. This means that kids with one or more learning disabilities, and their parents who are by their side trying to figure things out, aren’t alone. Because there are others, there are learning disability organizations and groups and researchers who are working to help lessen the impact of a learning “disorder” and replace it with “learning” and “thriving.” A peek into the numbers in these learning disabilities statistics will illustrate just how many kids are impacted by learning disabilities.

A note about the terms before proceeding: “Prevalence” refers to how common something is (in this case learning disabilities), or how many people live with learning disabilities. “Statistics” highlight the numeric extent of a learning disorder or related concept.

Learning Disabilities Prevalence

• Learning disabilities are considered to be high incidence disabilities.
• Over 4 million kids in the US have at least one learning disability.
• One in 59 kids, or 1.69 percent of kids live with one or more learning disabilities.

Statistics for All Learning Disabilities

• One in five children, or 20 percent, have learning and attention issues.
• US kids receiving special education services for a learning disability number more than 2.5 to 2.8 million.
• The 2.5 to 2.8 million kids in special education for a learning disability make up 47 percent of all kids receiving special education services.
• Approximately 33 percent of children on an IEP for learning disabilities or other health impairments (OHI) like ADHD had to repeat a grade in elementary school.
• Kids with learning disabilities are 31 percent more likely to be bullied than their classmates without a learning disability. About 45 percent of parents indicated in a survey that their child had been bullied.
• 7 out of 10 children with an IEP for a learning disability or OHI spend 80 percent or more of their school day in their regular education classroom as opposed to a special education classroom or resource room.
• Boys make up about two-thirds of students identified with a learning disability even though research shows that boys and girls have equal rates of learning disorders.
• On standardized tests for reading and math, only 12 to 26 percent of students with learning disabilities scored in the average- to above-average range compared to half of non-LD students.

Specific Learning Disabilities Statistics

• Of kids with ADHD, 11 percent of them also have dyscalculia, a math learning disability.
• Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, with 20 percent of children in special education for a learning disability estimated to have dyslexia.
• Approximately one-third people with learning disabilities also have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Learning disabilities prevalence information and learning disabilities statistics can help paint a picture of the scope of learning problems. This leads to the creation and maintenance of programs to help and support students with learning disabilities.

While the numbers are important, it’s important to think of them as reliable estimates rather than rigid facts. More studies are being conducted to keep the information updated and more thoroughly representative of the learning disabilities picture. In the meantime, current statistics and prevalence rates increase understanding of the impact learning disabilities has on kids.

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