as they enter adulthood. this is often not the case and most adults with learning disabilities still require resources and care to help manage their disability. one resource available is the adult basic education (abe) programs, at the state level. abe programs are allotted certain amounts of funds per state in order to provide resources for adults with learning disabilities. this includes resources to help them learn basic life skills in order to provide for themselves. abe programs also provide help for adults who lack a high school diploma or an equivalent. these programs teach skills to help adults get into the workforce or into a further level of education. there is a certain pathway that these adults and instructors should follow in order to ensure these adults have the abilities needed to succeed in life. some abe programs offer ged preparation programs to support adults through the process to get a ged. it is important to note that abe programs do not always have the expected outcome on things like employment. participants in abe programs are given tools to help them succeed and get a job but, employment is dependent on more than just a guarantee of a job post-abe. employment varies based on the level of growth a participant experiences in an abe program, the personality and behavior of the participant, and the job market they are entering into following completion of an abe program. another program to assist adults with disabilities are federal programs called "home and community based services" (hcbs). medicaid funds these programs for many people through a fee waiver system, however, there are still lots of people on a stand-by list. these programs are primarily used for adults with autism spectrum disorders. hcbs programs offer service more dedicated to caring for the adult, not so much providing resources for them to transition into the workforce. some services provided are: therapy, social skills training, support groups, and counseling. contrast with other conditions people with an iq lower than 70 are usually characterized as having an intellectual disability and are not included under most definitions of learning disabilities because their difficulty in learning are considered to be related directly to their overall low intelligence. attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd) is often studied in connection with learning disabilities, but it is not actually included in the standard definitions of learning disabilities. individuals with adhd may struggle with learning, but can often learn adequately once successfully treated for the adhd. a person can have adhd but not learning disabilities or have learning disabilities without having adhd. the conditions can co-occur. people diagnosed with adhd sometimes have impaired learning. some of the struggles people with adhd have might include lack of motivation, high levels of anxiety, and the inability to process information. there are studies that suggest people with adhd generally have a positive attitude toward academics and, with medication and developed study skills, can perform just as well as individuals without learning disabilities. also, using alternate sources of gathering information, such as websites, study groups and learning centers, can help a person with adhd be academically successful. before the discovery of adhd, it was technically included in the definition of lds since it has a very pronounced effect on the "executive functions" required for learning. thus historically, adhd was not clearly distinguished from other disabilities related to learning. therefore, when a person presents with difficulties in learning, adhd should be considered as well. scientific research continues to explore the traits, struggles, effective learning styles and comorbid lds of those with adhd. learning disabilities affects the writing process the ability to express one’s thoughts and opinions in an organized fashion and in written form is an essential life skill that individuals have been taught and practiced repetitively since youth. the writing process includes, but is not limited to: understanding the genre, style, reading, critical thinking, writing and proofreading. in the case of individuals possessing a learning disability, deficits may be present that could impair the individuals’ ability to carry out these necessary steps and express their thoughts in an organized manner. reading is a crucial step to quality writing, oftentimes, it is practiced from a young age. reading increases the attention span, allows exposure to a variety of genres and writing styles, and allows for the accumulation of a wide range of vocabulary. studies suggest that students with learning disabilities typically have difficulty with word recognition, the process of connecting the text to its meaning. this makes the reading process slow and cognitively laborious, which can be a very frustrating experience, causing students with learning disabilities to spend less time reading compared to their fellow classmates. this in turn can negatively affect vocabulary acquisition and comprehension development of the individual. in the context of standardized test taking, studies show that the strongest predictor of the level of performance during standardized essay writing was vocabulary complexity, specifically, the number of words with more than two syllables. studies have suggested that individuals with adhd tend to use simple structures and vocabulary. this puts many students with learning disabilities at a disadvantage since their knowledge of complex vocabulary usually does not compare to their peers. based on such patterns, early interventions such as reading and writing curriculums from a young age could provide opportunities for vocabulary acquisition and development. in addition, some students with learning disabilities tend to have difficulty separating the different stages of writing and devote little time to the planning stage. oftentimes, they attempt to simultaneously reflect on their spelling while putting ideas together causing them to overload their attention system and make a number of spelling mistakes. all together, the tendency of students with learning disabilities to dedicate little time to the planning and revision process compared to their peers often results in a lower level of coherence and quality of their written composition and a lower quality rating in the case for standardized tests. there is a lack of research in this area due to the complex relationship between the brain and one’s ability to articulate ideas in writing. more research should be conducted in order to assess these factors and test the effectiveness of various intervention techniques.