Section 1 – Individuals with Learning Disabilities
Defining and Describing Learning Disabilities
The development of the LD field in Canada parallels that of the United
States. Compared to other special needs, learning disabilities were not
recognized in the American educational system until the 1960s and actual
provision for children with LD did not formally occur until the mid 1970s with
the passage of Federal Legislation (Public Law 94-142). In Canada, the
Montreal Children’s Hospital Learning Centre was founded in 1960 by
psychiatrist Mel Levinson. The purpose was to investigate the difficulties
experienced by children who seemed to have average intelligence but who
experienced significant difficulty with school functioning. Considerable
leadership in the field has been provided by the “Association for Children
with Learning Disabilities” (now the Learning Disabilities Association of
Canada) founded in 1963 by a group of concerned parents.
Individuals with LD have average to above average intelligence but
experience difficulties in processing information that affect learning.
Learning disabilities have a neurological basis, are often hereditary and are
life long. They represent the most common special education need in North
America. For example, 57% of high school students with disabilities in public
high schools in the United States have LD. A Statistics Canada survey of
parents of children with disabilities conducted in 2001 found that four out of
five children requiring special education services had LD (Uppal, Kohen and
Kahn, 2006). In Alberta, students with LD are the largest group of students
designated as having special education needs. It is estimated that 1 in 10
Canadians has a learning disability.
Canadian provinces have authority over education and there is no
federal legislation related to LD resulting in variability in defining and
diagnosing LD across the country. Most Canadian provinces accept the