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learning difficulties

British

plural noun

difficulty experienced in reaching the average standard of people of the same age group as regards intellectual and cognitive skills and performance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

This is now the standard umbrella term to cover both difficulties created by specific conditions, such as dyslexia, and by less than average intellectual skills

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sullivan said he was not provided with an appropriate adult to help him understand the interrogation, despite police custody records noting he had learning difficulties.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

But she still has them, as well as autism and learning difficulties.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Mr Baker had a rare genetic condition which caused severe learning difficulties, as well as epilepsy and difficulty swallowing.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

She became a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull, which has a progressive programme for the inclusion of children with learning difficulties.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025

I’m meant to say that they have learning difficulties or that they have special needs.

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023