Dyslexia/Learning Disabilities Facts

According to a report presented on Capitol Hill on October 6, 2010 by the non-profit Roper Poll, the public and educators are still confused when it comes to children with learning disabilities. The report uncovered “an alarming lack of knowledge by parents and educators about learning disabilities. These findings threaten our children’s futures and undermine efforts to improve educational outcomes for all. “

Poll Highlights

- 7 out of 10 parents, educators and school administrators incorrectly linked learning disabilities with mental retardation. This dangerous confusion reinforces the stigma around learning disabilities. It also does a great disservice to the roughly 2.6 million (one in eight in the United States) who have been diagnosed with learning a learning disability.

- A majority of the public and parents mistakenly believe learning disabilities are often a product of the home environment.

- A majority (51%) thinks that what people call learning disabilities are the results of laziness.

- More than two-thirds of parents think specific signs of learning disabilities are something a 2-4 year old will grow out of and therefore are more likely to delay seeking professional help.

- Forty-three percent (43%) of teachers think the home environment is at least partly to blame for children’s learning disabilities

- 53% of administrators strongly agree that their schools offer training for teaching children with learning disabilities, only 36% of teachers felt the same.

According to data from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD):

- 25% of students with learning disabilities drop out of high school, and only 61% of those who complete high school receive a regular diploma.

- Students with learning disabilities are also over-represented in the juvenile justice system; accounting for 38.6% of students with disabilities in these settings.

*  Data sourced from October 2010 Roper Poll. View complete report at; http://www.tremainefoundation.org/Content/October_2010_Roper_Poll_Results.asp