Ķvlog

Special Report
Special Education Interactive

5 Common Learning Differences in Students: A Data Snapshot

By Lesli A. Maxwell & Vanessa Solis — October 08, 2024 1 min read
An array of vibrantly colored brain illustrations arranged in a grid for easy examination. Categories, classifications, learning differences, brain scans.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Roughly , with a range of learning and thinking differences. Those differences have nothing to do with intelligence—but derive from how their brains receive, process, and respond to information.

In a short span of years that included the pandemic, students identified as being eligible for supports and services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act surged, with 7.5 million students qualifying under IDEA in the 2022-23 school year, up from 7.1 million in 2019. While not all students who are identified as being neurodiverse receive formal services, many benefit from more informal supports provided by their schools and teachers.

For Ķvlog to more effectively support such students, they need to first understand some basic facts and figures. Here are data snapshots of five common types of neurodiversity and learning differences in students.

NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS:   

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD

A neurodevelopmental disorder, ADHD can affect a child’s ability to pay attention, sit still, and resist acting impulsively. Those behaviors can make school a difficult setting for children with ADHD who don’t have supports.

ADHD’s prevalence varies across demographic groups. Its symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe, meaning that schools must serve students whose needs are widely variable.

Autism

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has grown in prevalence over the past two decades. It can affect many aspects of a person’s life, including how they receive, respond to, and process information, how they respond to social cues, and how they communicate.

SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES:   

Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Dyslexia

These three learning disabilities—dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyslexia—affect students’ ability to do math, write, and read, respectively.

Images/Getty

See also

special populations getty 920 wide
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty

Coverage of students with learning differences and issues of race, opportunity, and equity is supported in part by a grant from the Oak Foundation, at . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, as well as responsible adoption.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Unlocking Success for Struggling Adolescent Readers
The Science of Reading transformed K-3 literacy. Now it's time to extend that focus to students in grades 6 through 12.
Content provided by 
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Special Education Leader To Learn From How Nashville Dismantled Segregated Classrooms for Students With Disabilities
Nashville overhauled special education to prioritize inclusion, and changed school culture.
8 min read
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 14: Debra McAdams, Executive Director, Department of Exceptional Education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School Of The Arts in Nashville.
Debra McAdams, executive director of the department of exceptional education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 14, 2026.
Brett Carlsen for Education Week
Special Education Q&A Why Inclusive Classrooms Benefit Every Student, Not Just Those With Disabilities
Inclusive practices improve outcomes for all students and require deep system change.
5 min read
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 14: Debra McAdams, Executive Director, Department of Exceptional Education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School Of The Arts in Nashville.
Debra McAdams, executive director of the department of exceptional education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 14, 2026.
Brett Carlsen for Education Week
Special Education 4 Barriers to Giving Students With Disabilities the Tools They Need to Thrive
Assistive technology can help students with disabilities, but schools face challenges using it to its full potential.
5 min read
Kristen Ponce, speech language pathologist, uses Canva and the built in AI software to help her students.
Assistive technologies can be high or low tech, but teachers need help deploying them to match students with disabilities' particular needs. A speech language pathologist in Kansas City, Mo., uses an ed-tech program and its built in AI software to help her students on May 1, 2024.
Doug Barrett for Education Week
Special Education A Missed Opportunity in SEL: Centering Students With Disabilities
Students with learning differences are not always considered in the design or implementation of SEL programs.
7 min read
A “zones of regulation” sign decorates the door of a classroom at Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Woodinville, Wash., on April 2, 2024.
A sign asking children to identify their feelings decorates the door of a classroom at an elementary school in Woodinville, Wash., on April 2, 2024. Experts say schools should design social-emotional-learning curricula and programming with the needs of students with disabilities at the forefront.
Meron Menghistab for Education Week