@firemonkey i wasnt having a go at those with genuine Learning Delay - infact i look after my neighbour that has the same.
I was having a go at those - where its just plain obvious that they are trying to con the system. Its those type of people that try to manipulate it - that makes it harder for you and i to genuinly claim benefits.
I feel i have offended you 
Im sorry if i didnt explain myself properly.
I’m glad that people with intellectual or learning disabilities(US terminology) are getting the kind of help people of my generation didn’t get .
I was viewed as ‘dumb’ by many of my High School teachers…it was obvious.
But I was more lazy and bored than dumb. I score adequately in IQ tests, but I’m off the charts on any creative testing I’ve ever done.
I was simply a creative chap who was bored with the school curriculum so I never put in the effort.
@Naarai most of the reason kids skip school is because they genuinely don’t understand the material, but are too proud to say so. There are a few who try to game the system, but when I would evaluate students for LDs, one of our first telltale signs was that they would skip or act up in class.
I was just being factual. It wasn’t about you offending me .
Ok - Fair comment. 151515
This is why teachers use different approaches for kids nowadays. Clearly, you would have done better in school with a different approach than the one the teachers were using.
Early reports at my 1st school in Bangkok described me as being a ‘class clown’ . There were enough concerns for my school to suggest I needed to be tested for what is now called cerebral palsy. I was tested at Gt Ormond street ,London . This was c1962-1963. The result was negative . Nothing else was suggested.
Prep school reports described me as badly coordinated, and bad at drawing and writing.
Public school reports described me as disorganised and messy .
Nowadays that would be a red flag, but back in 1961-1975 it wasn’t .
I skipped mostly when we had substitutes, but I dont believe skipping class and not understanding the material has anything to do with LD; in majority of the cases I believe it’s more accustomed to ADD/ADHD (is that an LD?)
You cant expect a child or a teenager to sit still for so many hours of the day and pay attention to the teacher. They need to move, socialize, interact.
There may be no such data out there, but it would be interesting to see how people from my generation, like myself, who have very probable, though undiagnosed ,learning disabilities(US terminology) have fared. How much not getting appropriate help and support has had a negative effect .
I don’t think anyone is dumb. I have worked with neurotypical individuals as well as those with intellectual disabilities. They’re really fun to hang out and work with, although I have encountered some difficulties. If they are given the right resources, they will thrive.
Yes, ADHD is considered a learning disability/neurodivergance, and is something most kids get an IEP for.
We watched an old war movie in grade 11 history class.
Teacher: "So Patrick . Name one thing you learned from this film.
Me: “Well, everyone seemed to walk fast and be in a hurry back in those days.”
The whole class burst out laughing.
(The film they used back in the 1930’s sped up everybody’s actions.)
I used to be smart and know how to do things. Once I became a stay at home mom the most intellectually stimulating I do now is figure out how to get play dough out of carpet. I’ve lost brain cells…
At the elementary school I delivered pizzas to the other day
They had the quote by Albert Einstein on the wall “everyone is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will go its whole life believing it’s an idiot”
I commented on it and said “it’s one of my favorite quotes, I just wish I had heard it in elementary school”. And the teacher made a good comment she said “yes it’s about finding what you’re good at”. Then I left.
One of my favourite quotes?
I thought Einstein said that one too 
No I think it was Genghis Khan…he was always into mail ordered brides.
That’s because we’re getting better at diagnosing conditions. I’ve never been able to function well in a crowded room, which is every classroom I was ever in. Put me in the right conditions and I run circles around neurotypicals. I’m more productive in my job role for processing changes than the other four members of my team combined.
Someone who is considered “dumb” because they won’t read may be dyslexic. A kid who may not be able to sit still in class could make a hella good professional dancer. Plenty of reasons why a square peg won’t fit into education’s round hole. All kids should be given the opportunity to learn the best they can in the conditions that work for them and receive support while doing so.