List Of Famous People With Learning Disabilities

The term learning Disability refers to a broad range of disorders that impair an individual's academic and functional abilities. These abilities are generally those of speaking, listening, reading, writing, spelling, reason and the ability to organize information.

A learning disability is by no mean an indicator of lower intelligence levels. In fact, to the very contrary, research has shown that individuals with learning disabilities may actually have normal or even above normal intelligence levels. As you will see in the list below, some f the greatest minds of history had learning disabilities and yet theirs are the achievements we are so proud of as a human race.

It was a recent research and development in the area of psychological disabilities that led to the diagnosis of learning disabilities, and also brought to light the many individuals in the past who had exhibited symptoms of one learning disability or the other. During their own lifetimes, however, they were not diagnosed nor properly treated for their disabilities and remained a confusion for those around them as well as themselves.

If you have a child or teen who is coping with a learning disability, then it would be a great psychological boost to share with him or her the examples of the many people who have marked a place for themselves in history despite having similar problems. A child with a learning disability may really feel beyond frustrated and begin to doubt their own abilities because the standard evaluation criterion established within our education system has yet to customize itself to truly be useful to all children or reflective of their abilities. Here are some of the famous people who had outstanding lives despite their learning disabilities;

Winston Churchill: had a learning disability.

Walt Disney: had a learning disability.

Edison: Had a learning disability. He couldn't read until he was twelve years old and had a very difficult time writing even when he was older.

Albert Einstein: Mathematician/Physicist: Had a learning disability and did not speak until age 3. He had a very difficult time doing math in school. It was very hard for him to express himself through writing.

Alexander Graham Bell: had a learning disability

George Patton: This World War II General had a learning disability.

Nelson Rockfeller, former Vice President: had a learning disability, dyslexia.

Werner Von Braun: had a learning disability and often flunked his math tests in high school.

George Washington: Had a learning disability. He could barely write and had very poor grammar skills.

Woodrow Wilson: U.S. President from 1913-1921. Had a learning disability -- was severely dyslexic.

Other famous people who have learning disabilities are Cher, Tom Cruise, Whoopi Goldberg, Greg Louganis, Bruce Jenner, H.G. Wells.

Famous people who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Robin Williams and "Magic" Johnson.

Famous people who are known or are thought to have had epilepsy: Charles Dickens, Neil Abercrombie, Danny Glover, Margaux Hemingway, Tchaikovsky, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Alfred Great, William Pitt, Napoleon, Byron, de Moupassant, Edward Lear, Handel, Berlioz, Paganini, Vincent Van Gogh, Tony Lazzeri, Gary Howatt and British marathon runner Alan Blinston