| Understanding |
|
Differences | Difficulties | Delays | Deficits | Disabilities | Dysfunctions | Disorders |
 |
| Misunderstanding |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
Learning—Dysfunctions
This term often appears in diagnostic testing reports. Diagnosticians and other professionals use this term to describe a persistent and significant pattern of difficulty in a particular learning function, such as phonological processing, verbal memory, or active working memory. This language, although very technical, can be useful to parents, teachers, and other professionals in pinpointing a specific underlying area of weakness (a "dysfunction in phonological processing," a "short term memory dysfunction").
Professionals who use the word dysfunction with teachers, parents, and students should remember that it carries other strong connotations through its common use, as in the context of "dysfunctional families" or "dysfunctional behavior."
Learning about the functions, not simply the dysfunctions, of learning can help promote thinking about how we learn, how the brain processes information, and why a particular task is difficult or easy for a particular individual. Just as athletes need to understand how their bodies work - how the demands of a particular game relate to his skills and abilities - good students need to understand how their minds work.
The power of self understanding is central to overcoming difficulties in learning. When people get "stuck" while learning, we need to examine more closely both the functions and the dysfunctions that contribute to or interfere with effective learning.