Specific Learning Disorder 67
B. The affected academic skills are substantially and quantifiably below those expected
for the individual’s chronological age, and cause significant interference with academic
or occupational performance, or with activiti es of daily living, as confirmed by individu-
ally administered standardized achievement measures and comprehensive clinical
assessment. For individuals age 17 years and older, a documented history of impairing
learning difficulties may be substituted for the standardized assessment.
C. The learning difficulties begin during school-age years but may not become fully man-
ifest until the demands for those affected academic skills exceed the individual’s lim-
ited capacities (e.g., as in timed tests, reading or writing lengthy complex reports for a
tight deadline, excessively heavy academic loads).
D. The learning difficulties are not better accounted for by intellectual disabilities, uncor-
rected visual or auditory acuity, other mental or neurological disorders, psychosocial
adversity, lack of proficiency in the language of academic instruction, or inadequate
educational instruction.
Note:  The four diagnostic criteria are to be met based on a clinical synthesis of the indi-
vidual’s history (developmental, medical, fa mily, educational), school reports, and psycho-
educational assessment.
Coding note:  Specify all academic domains and subskills that are impaired. When more
than one domain is impaired, each one should be coded individually according to the fol-
lowing specifiers.
Specify if:
315.00 (F81.0) With impairment in reading:
Word reading accuracy
Reading rate or fluency
Reading comprehension
Note:  Dyslexia  is an alternative term used to refer to a pattern of learning difficulties
characterized by problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding,
and poor spelling abilities. If dyslexia is used to specify this particular pattern of dif-