UCLA study reports more college students reporting learning disabilities

From UCLA's annual survey of the nation's entering students at four-year institutions:

The number of students reporting that they have a learning disability is steadily rising. While 0.5 percent of freshmen reported having a learning disability in 1983, 3.3 percent did so in 2008.

Self-reported learning disabled students indicate they are more likely than freshmen overall to need extra time to complete their degrees (11.6 and 6.4 percent, respectively) and to seek personal counseling (15.0 and 9.2 percent). They were also more likely to report that they expect to need tutoring for specific courses (43.5 and 31.6 percent).

"Research on learning disabled students shows that these students tend to experience more stress and anxiety related to the demands of succeeding in college," said Linda DeAngelo, a co-author of the report and CIRP assistant director for research. "One way students cope positively with their learning difficulties is by putting intense and extra efforts toward their studies."