Rethinking Learning Disabilities

Experts have yet to reach consensus about what a learning disability is, how to determine if a child has one, and what to do about it. Leading researcher and clinician Deborah Waber offers an alternative to the prevailing view of learning disability as a problem contained within the child. Instead, she shows how learning difficulties are best understood as a function of the developmental interaction between the child and the world. Integrating findings from education, developmental psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, she offers a novel approach with direct practical implications. Detailed real-world case studies illustrate how this approach can promote positive outcomes for children who struggle in school.

“"Waber's perspective is sophisticated and exceptional, having evolved from her developmental psychology background, her neuropsychological research, and her applied/practical clinical work. She never oversimplifies (while describing lucidly) the multiple factors from which 'learning disabilities' emerge."--Martha Bridge Denckla, MD, Director, Developmental Cognitive Neurology, Kennedy Krieger Institute; Professor of Neurology, John Hopkins University School of Medicine ”

"Waber's developmental approach -- addressing the abilities and disabilities of both children and their environments -- is clear sighted, refreshing, brilliant, and hopeful." - David Rose, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Massachusetts, USA "'Must' reading for anyone interested in how advances in cognitive neuroscience are changing the way we think about the many children who struggle in school, and how this new science can lead to more humane, individualized education." - Bruce F. Pennington, University of Denver, USA

Deborah P. Waber, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA

Experts have yet to reach consensus about what a learning disability is, how to determine if a child has one, and what to do about it. Leading researcher and clinician Deborah Waber offers an alternative to the prevailing view of learning disability as a problem contained within the child. Instead, she shows how learning difficulties are best understood as a function of the developmental interaction between the child and the world. Integrating findings from education, developmental psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, she offers a novel approach with direct practical implications. Detailed real-world case studies illustrate how this approach can promote positive outcomes for children who struggle in school.

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