[+] Read about the specific criteria used to diagnose learning disabilities.
Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education – Criteria for a Diagnosis of “Learning Disabled”
A child is determined to have a specific learning disability when:
- 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 child’s age and ability level;
- 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
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, research-based intervention as a part of the evaluation procedures or may require a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability (of 1.5 standard deviation).
- The child’s learning disability is not primarily the result of:
- A visual, hearing, or motor disability
- Mental retardation
- Emotional disturbance
- Environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage
NOTE ON 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.
The SSD Family & Community Resource Center (FCRC) offers books, videos and other resources on
learning disabilities (PDF). Materials may be sent home through school mail to families whose children receive SSD services. Others may come into the FCRC to check out materials.
Local Resources
Pathways to Independence
http://www.pathways2independence.com/
St. Louis Learning Disabilities Association
www.ldastl.org
State Resources
Learning Disabilities Association of Missouri
http://www.ldamo.org/
National Resources
Learning Disabilities Association of America
www.ldaamerica.org
LD Online
www.ldonline.org
National Center for Learning Disabilities
www.ncld.org 
