Rethinking Learning Disabilities: The Category Error and a More Accurate Way to Understand Learning Differences

In this thoughtful and research-informed analysis, Dr. John Hite, a school psychologist and provider at the Arbit Center for Mental Health, examines what may be fundamentally misunderstood about learning disabilities in clinical, educational, and diagnostic contexts. Drawing from decades of psychological research and real-world assessment data, Dr. Hite explores the idea that many commonly defined learning disorders may represent a category error—a mismatch between how learning difficulties are labeled and how learning actually develops.

Rather than reflecting discrete, biologically distinct disorders, large-scale studies suggest that learning challenges often fall along a continuum shaped by instructional exposure, opportunity, and experience. When differences in reading, writing, or math performance are treated as categorical deficits, it can obscure both the true source of difficulty and the most effective paths for support. This framework invites clinicians, educators, and families to move away from rigid labels and toward a more nuanced, developmentally informed understanding of learning variation.

At The Arbit Center’s Washington, DC office, Dr. Hite provides psychoeducational evaluations as a licensed psychology associate. He also offers special education consultation nationally and internationally via telehealth, partnering with families, educators, and providers to translate assessment findings into practical, strengths-based support.

Dr. Hite is currently accepting new patients for developmental and psychoeducational evaluations and consultation. Families seeking a collaborative, research-informed approach to understanding learning differences are encouraged to explore whether an evaluation or consultation may be a helpful next step.