Reflecting on the Conceptualization of Specific Learning Disabilities in the 21st Century

Abstract

Over the past years, learning disabilities (LD) or specific learning disabilities (SLD) have emerged as one of the most studied fields of developmental disabilities and have become synonymous with special education itself due to how frequently students are placed under this category. It is also the special education category which has brought the most disagreement among scholars, researchers, and educators to this day, given that, LD has not been established as a distinct discipline; that is until now no causal relationship has been determined between the phenomenology of LD and the factors which cause them. Despite formal definitions, a lack of understanding of their nature and their interpretation exists, which indicates that the main goal of a distinct discipline is not fulfilled yet [1,2].