Specific Learning Disorder: Treatment

Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, comprising a heterogeneous group of disorders marked by persistent difficulty with reading, writing, or mathematics despite the provision of instruction that is generally effective with most people. SLD is related to difficulties in cognitive functions and has distinct neural and genetic correlates, but these components are not relevant to treatment. The persistent difficulty in learning academic skills makes SLD a form of unexpected low achievement, which is the primary definitional attribute of the construct. Treatment focuses on the academic deficits because this is the primary area of adaptive impairment and because other approaches, such as directly teaching cognitive skills, do not generalize to academic skills.

There are well-established ...