ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog

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 ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog 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 Trump Funding Cuts Hit Particularly Hard for Deaf and Blind Children
Programs supporting students with rare, complex disabilities have lost millions of federal dollars.
13 min read
Itinerant teacher April Wilson works with student Ryker Elam at Greenville Elementary on Sept. 29, 2025 in Greenville, Ill.
Ryker Elam works with itinerant teacher April Wilson at Greenville Elementary on Sept. 29, 2025, in Greenville, Ill. Wilson is a teacher of the visually impaired who works at schools across rural Illinois. A Braille training program Wilson enrolled in this fall was among dozens of special education-related programs for which the U.S. Department of Education has ended grant funding.
Michael B. Thomas for Education Week
Special Education Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About the Keys to Successful Dyslexia Education?
Answer 7 questions about the keys to successful dyslexia education
Special Education Educators Worry About How Trump's Autism Rhetoric Will Affect Students, Parents
Misinformation about autism can fuel stigma that harms students, ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog say.
7 min read
Ear Defenders or Headphones And Fidget Toy To Help Child With ASD Or Autism On Table In School Classroom
iStock/Getty
Special Education Trump Canceled Millions for Special Education Teacher Training. What's Next?
More than $30 million for teacher training and parent resources will no longer flow as scheduled.
9 min read
Vivien Henshall, a long-term substitute special education teacher, talks with Scarlett Rasmussen, 8, during recess at Parkside Elementary School on May 17, 2023, in Grants Pass, Ore. Scarlett is nonverbal and uses an electronic device and online videos to communicate, but reads at her grade level. She was born with a genetic condition that causes her to have seizures and makes it hard for her to eat and digest food, requiring her to need a resident nurse at school.
A long-term substitute special education teacher at Parkside Elementary School in Grants Pass, Ore., speaks with a student during recess on May 17, 2023. The Trump administration has canceled more than $30 million in special education grants, including some aimed at training special education teachers.
Lindsey Wasson/AP