<p>"Ok this argument has very poor logic, but I am sure I will have troubles explaining why. I'll give it a shot though. Assume EVERYONE has a LD. Then, EVERYONE would do better without their 'LD'. Do you see what I mean? What if my LD is that I am lazy? Wouldn't I do better in school without that LD? Basically if you characterize any academic weakness as an LD you can argue that the student will perform better without that weakness as an obstacle."</p>
<p>Perhaps I didn't explain myself well enough. Everyone doesn't have an LD. That's what differentiates LD people. Being lazy is not an LD. You're also confusing academic weakness and not being intelligent with LD. Many people with diagnosed LD's have very high IQ's. When given more time, they can do just as well as people with similar IQ's. Without extra time, they don't. </p>
<p>"What if those kids are just slow? I know a non-LD girl who works slow as a snail. I'm sure that if she was given an extra hour on teh SAT she would still feel as much of a time crunch as I feel <em>without</em> that hour. And, not to be blunt, but what if the kid is just a slow-thinker or not too bright? Wouldn't that kid feel pressed for time even with extra time? Are all dumb kids LD then?"</p>
<p>The question is why they are a slow worker. Are they a slow worker because they are dumb, or because the channel keeps changing in their brain without their control? If she's not LD, then yeah, maybe she's just dumb. Or maybe she's very smart, and just works slowly (which is why I hate the SAT...), but if she's not LD, it's moot. The issue at hand are people that are LD and do better than they otherwise would do without the time. The issue at hand is a genuine problem with the way the brain functions. Not all LD kids are dumb. I know you're being facetious, but you actually bring up a very good point. Many people with high IQ's have LD or other (let's not forget non-LD problems that inhibit cognition unnaturally) problems. </p>
<p>"Sounds like kids who are not so bright, LD aside, would not 'catch on' to this amorphous game very quickly, either. Again, are all kids with below average intelligence LD? Seems so based on this 'executive function' test."</p>
<p>This is why you are not a neuroscientist or cognitive psychologist. Your analysis is faulty. No, these are not just people who are not so bright. Specific parts of the brain control specific tasks. This part of the brain (I believe a section of the frontal lobe) controls, among other things, executive functioning, which has been scientifically connected to the symptoms of ADHD. And again, no, all kids with below average intelligence are not LD. You can score very high on an IQ test (and there are many kinds of IQ tests) and do very poorly on the executive functioning test. </p>
<p>"Like I said, not everyone is naturally intelligent. I am sure kids who are not smart will try very hard and not do well, and while the neural basis of intelligence is still difficult to define, I'd guess that there are some "chemical" problems barring them from success. How do you differentiate between "simply not very smart, needs a lot of time to think things through" and "LD"? Could they be the same thing?"</p>
<p>I agree with you, some people are more intelligent than others. But I don't think it has to do with actual chemical malfunction / design like LD. Yes, they could be the same thing, but modern science tells us they are not. I'm going to reiterate my point about people with very high IQ's and LD. </p>
<p>"This sounds like obsessive compulsive disorder."</p>
<p>Simply put, it's not.
OCD is a very complex combination of both obsessive thougths and compulsions to do often seemingly unimportant tasks such that it interferes with daily life. Again, simply put, this kind of reaction to the frustration of struggling with a task is not the same thing. </p>
<p>"Some are smarter, some are simply not academically inclined. There's a whole spectrum. I suppose doctors draw an arbitrary line and say to all the people below that line: you have a disability!"</p>
<p>No. There is an instance where we use a spectrum, and that's about IQ and mental retardation. LD is completely different. LD is when an otherwise normally or above-normally functioning person (as often identified by things like IQ tests) is inhibited to performing to their innate ability because of researched and proven problems in the way the brain functions.</p>
<p>"But everyone's grades would go up with extra time"</p>
<p>Actually, no. If you'll take the time to read this thread, there was a study done showing that primarily people with LD did a significantly amount better with the extra time. </p>
<p>"And I'm primarily confused about how to tell a kid who's plain unintelligent/slow thinker from one who is handicapped."</p>
<p>Become a neuroscientist and study brain functioning in regards to intelligence and performance. Or read the available scientific literature. The general distinction is that someone with LD has a normal or high IQ but does not do as well because of problems in the brain that causes slower processing time, concentration, etc, and a person with a plain old low IQ / capacity.</p>