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Looking for the latest statistics and facts on the topic of learning disabilities?
My updated guide for 2024 has everything you need, and more.
Feel free to use the jump links below to go to the section that interests you the most.
You can also use this jump link to quickly jump to the KEY STATS section.
Also, all the references and resources I used in crafting my guide are listed at the bottom of the page.
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Jump here: Key Learning Disabilities Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year| Learning Disabilities Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year (Detailed Info)
Table of Contents
Key Learning Disabilities Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year
Learning Disabilities Statistics, Facts and Trends for 2024
- At least 1 in 59 children has one or numerous learning disabilities.
- 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have learning and thinking differences such as ADHD.
- In the U.S., 4 million children younger than 18 have learning disabilities.
- Approximately 10% of the world’s population has dyslexia.
- Dyslexia is the most common learning disability.
- Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.
- An estimated 6-10% of children have ADHD.
- Around 8% of children in the United States have a specific learning disability related to reading.
- Between 2-8% of people worldwide have dyscalculia, a math-related learning disability. Girls are more likely to be diagnosed with certain types of learning disabilities such as dyscalculia.
- Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) affects approximately 5-6% of school-aged children.
- Nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) impact approximately 1 in every 50 individuals.
- Roughly 60% of students with learning disabilities drop out of high school.
- Adults with learning disabilities are twice as likely to experience unemployment compared to those without disabilities.
- Learning disabilities can co-occur with other conditions such as anxiety and depression.
- Up to 80% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may also have a learning disability.
- Children from low-income families are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability than those from higher-income families.
- In Canada, an estimated one-third of students who receive special education services have a specific learning disability related to reading or writing.
- The prevalence rate for all types of specific learning disabilities combined is around 5-15%.
- Around 15% of the U.S. population, or one in seven individuals, has some form of learning disability.
- There are around 10 million children and adults in the United States with learning disabilities.
- Only 68% of students with learning disabilities graduate from high school, compared to 81% of students without disabilities.
- Only 48% of adults with learning disabilities are employed, compared to 72% of adults without disabilities.
- African American and Hispanic students are overrepresented in special education programs for students with learning disabilities.
- Among school-aged children, boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with learning disabilities.
- In older adults, the prevalence of learning disabilities may increase with age.
Learning Disabilities Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year (Detailed Info)
How Common Are Learning Disabilities Among Children?
At least 1 in 59 children has one or numerous learning disabilities.
Learning disabilities are more prevalent than many people realize. These neurological disorders affect a significant portion of the child population, impacting their ability to process, store, and communicate information.
For example, 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have learning and thinking differences such as ADHD.
How Many Children Under 18 in the U.S. Are Affected by Learning Disabilities?
1 in 5 children in the U.S. have learning and thinking differences such as ADHD.
Also in the U.S., 4 million children (ages <18) have learning disabilities. And as more Hispanic people move to the US in search of a better life the numbers of chidden with learning/thinking problems is only going to rise (this is because on average Hispanic children are more affected by these disorders than children of European descent).
What Percentage of People Worldwide Are Estimated to Have Dyslexia?
Approximately 10% of the world’s population has dyslexia.
Dyslexia, a specific learning disorder that affects reading and related language-based processing skills, is one of the most common learning disabilities. Its global prevalence highlights the importance of worldwide efforts to support individuals with dyslexia.
Which Learning Disability is the Most Prevalent?
Dyslexia is the most common learning disability.
As the most common learning disability, dyslexia affects a significant portion of those with learning challenges. Between 3–7% to 20% of the global population, depending on the criteria used for identification has some form of dyslexia.
What Percentage of Children Are Affected by ADHD?
An estimated 6-10% of children have ADHD which makes it one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood.
How Common Are Reading-Related Learning Disabilities Among U.S. Children?
1 in 12, or around 8% of children in the United States have a specific learning disability related to reading.
Reading-related learning disabilities, which include dyslexia, affect a substantial number of children in the U.S.
Note: dyslexia and other reading related disabilities need to be tackled early on when they’re the most manageable in children. That’s when the biggest corrective results can be achieved.
This is important because most of the curriculum in US schools is text-based and pupils with reading difficulty will have a ton of academic problem in the future if they don’t solve their reading issues successfully.
What is the Global Prevalence of Dyscalculia?
Between 2-8% of people worldwide have dyscalculia, a math-related learning disability.
Dyscalculia affects an individual’s ability to understand and work with numbers. Girls are more likely to be diagnosed with dyscalculia compared to boys.
How Many School-Aged Children Are Impacted by Developmental Coordination Disorder?
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) affects approximately 5-6% of school-aged children.
DCD, also known as dyspraxia, affects a child’s ability to perform coordinated motor skills.
What is the Prevalence of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities in the Population?
Nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) impact approximately 1 in every 50 individuals.
NVLD affects an individual’s ability to process nonverbal information, such as visual-spatial cues. While less common than some other learning disabilities, NVLD still affects a significant number of people and requires specialized support.
Do Learning Disabilities Often Appear Alongside Other Mental Health Conditions?
Learning disabilities can co-occur with other conditions such as anxiety, depression and Autism.
For example, up to 80% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may also have a learning disability.
The co-occurrence of learning disabilities with other mental health conditions highlights the complex nature of these disorders.
It shows that there isn’t and probably never will be a silver bullet solution to help these people. Instead what’s need is a carefully crafted approach towards integrating people with disabilities so they can become a healthy part of society.
How Does Family Income Relate to the Likelihood of a Learning Disability Diagnosis?
Children from low-income families are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability than those from higher-income families.
This disparity may reflect differences in access to resources, early intervention, and quality education or more probably, the combination of all three factors.
What Proportion of Canadian Students in Special Education Have Reading or Writing-Related Learning Disabilities?
In Canada, an estimated one-third of students (32%) who receive special education services have a specific learning disability related to reading or writing.
How Common are Learning Disabilities in the General U.S. Population?
Around 15% of the U.S. population, or one in seven individuals, has some form of learning disability. And there are around 10 million children and adults in the United States with learning disabilities.
How Do High School Graduation Rates Compare Between Students with and Without Learning Disabilities?
Only 68% of students with learning disabilities graduate from high school, compared to 81% of students without disabilities.
This disparity in graduation rates highlights the ongoing challenges faced by students with learning disabilities in completing their education. It underscores the need for targeted interventions and support to improve educational outcomes for these students.
It’s hard for people with regular cognitive ability’s to fully understand, but when students with disabilities face issue which seem unsurmountable to them, some of them push through, but some of them give up and that’s where the difference in graduation rate is truly made.
Another study I found and linked in the footer of the page proves my point. According to said survey, roughly 60% of students with learning disabilities drop out of high school.
What is the Employment Gap Between Adults with and Without Learning Disabilities?
Only 48% of adults with learning disabilities are employed, compared to 72% of adults without disabilities.
This significant employment gap reveals the long-term impact of learning disabilities on career prospects. People with disabilities tend to have much harder time getting work and also tend to lose the jobs they have more quickly than people with “normal” cognitive abilities.
Is There a Racial Disparity in the Representation of Students in Learning Disability Programs?
African American and Hispanic students are overrepresented in special education programs for students with learning disabilities.
This overrepresentation raises questions about potential biases in the identification and diagnosis of learning disabilities.
Studies have also shown that among school-aged children, boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with learning disabilities.
This gender disparity in diagnoses may reflect either differences in how learning disabilities manifest in boys versus girls, or again and similar to the above example, potential biases in the identification process.
How Does Age Affect the Prevalence of Learning Disabilities in Adults?
In older adults, the prevalence of learning disabilities increases with age.
This potential increase in prevalence with age could be due to age-related changes in cognitive function because as the brain ages it start falling apart and many thing that are not supposed to happen, happen.
It could also be that older people are easier diagnosed with learning disorders because they’re more easily compared with healthy people from their age group.
Are There Specific Learning Disabilities That Are More Commonly Diagnosed in Girls?
Girls are more likely to be diagnosed with certain types of learning disabilities such as dyscalculia (similar to dyslexia, but bring problems with calculating and math).
While boys are more commonly diagnosed with learning disabilities overall, this statistic highlights that certain types of learning disabilities may be more prevalent in girls.
Learning Disabilities Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year
My updated guide for 2024 lists the latest learning disabilities statistics, facts and trends and how to best tackle this sensitive issue.
I hope you enjoyed it because the guide is now over.
During my research, I consulted these resources below:
References:
- Students With Disabilities- https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg/students-with-disabilities
- The State of Learning Disabilities Today- https://ldaamerica.org/lda_today/the-state-of-learning-disabilities-today/
- 16Prevalence of Learning Disabilities- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK332880/
- Understanding specific Learning Disabilities- https://ncld.org/join-the-movement/understand-the-issues/
- What Is Specific Learning Disorder?- https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/specific-learning-disorder/what-is-specific-learning-disorder
- 31 Learning Disabilities Statistics, Prevalence & Facts- https://www.supportivecareaba.com/statistics/learning-disabilities
- What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.S.- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/24/what-federal-education-data-shows-about-students-with-disabilities-in-the-us/
- 37 Learning Disabilities Statistics & Prevalence- https://www.discoveryaba.com/statistics/learning-disabilities-prevalence
- Learning disabilities by the numbers- https://www.understood.org/en/articles/learning-disabilities-by-the-numbers
- Read latest research and statistics about learning disability issues- https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/research-and-statistics
- 60 Learning Disabilities Statistics & Prevalence- https://www.thetreetop.com/statistics/learning-disabilities-statistics
- 21 Learning Disabilities Statistics & Facts (2024)- https://www.totalcareaba.com/statistics/learning-disabilities-statistics
- 9 key facts about learning disabilities and ADHD- https://www.understood.org/en/articles/facts-about-learning-disabilities-adhd
- Number of 3 to 21 year olds with specific learning disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the United States from 1990/91 to 2021/22- https://www.statista.com/statistics/236298/number-of-disabled-youth-in-the-us/
Nikola Roza
Nikola Roza is a blogger behind Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined. He writes for bloggers who don't have huge marketing budget but still want to succeed. Nikola is passionate about precious metals IRAs and how to invest in gold and silver for a safer financial future. Learn about Nikola here.