Can Smart Kids Have a Learning Disability?: Understanding the Difference Between IQ and Cognitive Skills

Have you ever wondered how your child can be so funny, creative, and smart, but still struggle with school? If so, you’re not alone.

We tend to think that “intelligence” is one quality and that an IQ score is a measure of that quality, so we assume that someone who is smart will succeed at all things intellectual. But, in truth, intelligence is a combination of many specific cognitive skills, like auditory processing (which helps with reading), logic and reasoning (which helps with math), and processing speed. This is great news, because it means that your child really is as brilliant as you think they are. But despite having some sky-high cognitive skills, if your child struggles in school a learning disorder may be to blame.

Defining Learning Disabilities

According to the Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (CCLD), a coalition of national organizations within the learning disabilities community, a learning disability is “a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently.” In other words, something in the individual’s brain is blocking their ability to process specific kinds of information.

Unlike disorders like autism and Down’s syndrome, learning disabilities are not associated with developmental delays. They typically affect children of average to above average intelligence, and run the gamut from dyslexia to ADHD.

What Causes Learning Disabilities

In 80% of cases, the blame for a learning disability lies with a few specific cognitive skill deficits. These brain skills include visual processing, attention, processing speed, logic and reasoning, memory, auditory processing, and many more. The strength of any cognitive skill is determined by the network of neurons in that area of the brain. When the neurons are not well-connected, the brain has less ability to process and retain the information effectively. In the case of ADHD, for example, attention deficits hinder the brain from learning new information, while in those with dyslexia and other struggling readers, weak phonemic awareness and auditory processing are usually the root of the problem.

Signs of a Potential Learning Disability

Sometimes, academic struggles are blamed on immaturity, behavior problems, or a lack of motivation. But if your child has significant ongoing problems with the basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic, then he or she may have a learning disability.

Here are some red flags for parent sand teachers to look for:

• Difficulty recalling facts and details
• Taking excessively long to complete homework or tests
• Difficulty ignoring distractions
• Frequent asking to have things repeated
• Difficulty doing two things at once
• Difficulty with reading comprehension

IQ vs. Learning Disabilities

Did you know that Albert Einstein had ADHD? Or that Thomas Edison had dyslexia? And yet, both are famous for their high IQs. This is because IQ is simply an average of all the various cognitive skills, so a person with a learning disability may still be very intelligent and have a high IQ if their other cognitive skills (those unaffected by the learning disorder) are especially strong. This is why it’s so important to look not at an IQ but at the individual cognitive skills that it includes.

Why Tutoring Won’t Work Long-Term

When a child struggles in school, many parents turn to tutoring, only to find that it may improve their child’s grades but it doesn’t make them struggle any less. Why? Tutoring re-teaches information the child didn’t learn the first time it was presented (in class). While with enough drilling the child may remember the information well enough for the next quiz, the cognitive deficit that hindered their learning will still remain. Their grades may improve, but they will continue to struggle with learning year after year.

What Does Work Long-Term

If your child’s learning disability is the result of cognitive skill deficits, these cognitive skills can be improved through a natural process called cognitive skills training. Also called cognitive therapy or brain training, cognitive skills training uses targeted, game-like mental exercises that cause the brain to actually build up its network of neurons to allow the information to be processed faster, more easily, and more thoroughly. When performed in a one-on-one, interactive environment, brain training can make life-changing and permanent improvements.

The first step is a simple cognitive assessment that identifies any cognitive skill deficits that may be causing the learning struggles. These assessments are available at local brain training centers and at many local psychology offices as well. Once the weaker cognitive skills are identified, a one-on-one brain training program can be customized to address the student’s specific needs. Learning ANY subject becomes easier, faster, and more efficient.

Personal brain training can address cognitive deficits in anyone: children, teens, adults, seniors, and even people who have experienced a loss of brain skills due to illness or injury. If you would like to find out whether you or a member of your family have cognitive skill deficits, or if you want answers about why your child struggles in school, call LearningRx brain training centers at 404-252-7246 (Buckhead) or 770-475-3276 (Alpharetta) to set up a cognitive skills assessment today.