Specific Learning Disability Definition

Criteria

A child has a specific learning disability when:

1. The child does not achieve commensurate with his or her age and ability levels in
   one or more areas listed in B below if provided with learning experiences
   appropriate for the childs age and ability level;
2. The child displays observable characteristics that indicate deficits in basic
   psychological processing in one or more of the following academic areas.
   
   • Basic reading skill
   • Mathematics reasoning
   • Reading comprehension
   • Written expression
   • Oral expression
   • Mathematics calculation
   • Listening comprehension
3. In determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, a responsible public agency may use a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, researchbased intervention as a part of the evaluation procedures or may require a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability (of 1.5 standard deviation).
4.  
5. C. The child's learning disability is not PRIMARILY the result of:
   1. A visual, hearing, or motor disability;
   2. Mental retardation;
   3. Emotional disturbance or;
   4. Environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage.

Professional Judgment

If a responsible public agency uses a severe discrepancy method: A child who does not display a discrepancy of at least 1.5 standard deviations as defined in B above, may nonetheless be deemed to have a specific learning disability if 1) the child meets the other criteria of this rule; and 2) based upon professional judgment and review of formal and informal assessments, the evaluation team concludes that a severe discrepancy exists. In such cases, sufficient data must be presented in the evaluation report to document the existence of a specific learning disability. If the agency does not use a severe discrepancy method, professional judgment can only be used if the child does not respond to scientific, research-based intervention.