Which discrepancy is used to define a learning disability?

• A. Academic achievement consistent with a specific cognitive weakness
• B. Discrepancy between academic achievement and overall cognitive ability
• C. Discrepancy between overall cognitive ability and specific cognitive weakness
• D. No discrepancy required

Answer: (B)

A learning disability is identified when a student’s academic performance is notably lower than what would be expected from their overall cognitive ability. In practice, this means comparing scores from an intelligence test (overall cognitive ability) with standardized achievement tests in areas like reading, writing, and math. A significant gap between these measures suggests a specific difficulty in learning that isn’t explained by general intellect, sensory factors, or lack of instruction. This IQ–achievement discrepancy is the hallmark criterion used to define a learning disability. The other patterns don’t fit: a gap aligned with a cognitive weakness doesn’t capture the expected relationship between ability and achievement, and saying no discrepancy is required ignores the traditional diagnostic approach.