If you’ve noticed your child’s struggles seem to span across multiple subjects—reading, math, attention—you’ve probably wondered if there’s a connection. You’re not imagining things, and that instinct is worth exploring. New professional development opportunities are helping educators and parents understand exactly how these learning patterns connect, and why addressing the underlying skills matters more than treating each challenge separately.
Tennessee IDA Launches Virtual Series on Connected Learning Differences
The International Dyslexia Association’s Tennessee branch is hosting a winter webinar series titled “LANGUAGE LINKS: the Overlap of Dyslexia, DLD, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and ADHD” on February 7th and 21st, 2026. The virtual format makes this professional development accessible to parents and educators across the state and beyond, with a certificate of attendance available for participants.
The series examines how these learning patterns frequently occur together, sharing underlying cognitive processes that affect multiple academic areas simultaneously. This integrated approach represents a shift from viewing each challenge in isolation to understanding the connected nature of how children process information.
What if your child's struggles in reading AND math share a common root? Tennessee webinar series explores why learning patterns overlap—and what you can do about it.
Research Reveals High Rates of Overlapping Patterns
Recent research published in Frontiers in Education confirms what many parents have observed: children frequently experience multiple learning patterns together. Studies suggest that 50 to 60 percent of individuals with reading differences also develop mathematical learning patterns. Both patterns share domain-general impairments, particularly in working memory, visual perception, and spatial processing—though each demonstrates distinct characteristics.
Understanding these connections matters because they often share a common root. When working memory skills are still developing, children may show apparent struggles in both reading and math that stem from the same underlying processing patterns. For parents seeking to understand these connections, understanding how dyscalculia works provides a helpful foundation for recognizing the signs and understanding what’s actually happening in your child’s brain.
Practical Strategies for Connected Learning Patterns
The webinar series offers evidence-based approaches that help address multiple challenges through targeted skill building. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework that benefits all learners, with multimodal materials, manipulatives for mathematical concepts, and strategies that address the underlying processing skills rather than just the surface symptoms.
Research emphasizes the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) instructional sequence as particularly effective for learners still developing mathematical understanding. This approach builds from physical manipulatives to visual representations before introducing abstract numbers—creating neural pathways that make mathematical concepts meaningful rather than memorized. Building strong number sense serves as the foundation for all mathematical learning, addressing root causes rather than chasing symptoms.
Key takeaways
- February Webinar Series Explores Connected Learning Patterns: IDA Tennessee's winter 2026 virtual series examines how reading, math, writing, and attention differences overlap and share underlying cognitive roots.
- Research Shows High Co-Occurrence Rates: Studies indicate 50-60% of individuals with reading patterns also develop mathematical learning patterns, sharing working memory and processing foundations.
- Root-Cause Approach Improves Multiple Areas: Strengthening foundational cognitive skills like working memory and number sense can address multiple learning patterns simultaneously.
Why Understanding Overlap Creates Better Outcomes
When parents and educators recognize that learning patterns often share underlying causes, they can stop chasing multiple separate problems and start building the foundational skills that lift everything. The brain’s remarkable plasticity means that strengthening one core processing skill—like working memory or visual-spatial processing—often improves multiple areas simultaneously.
The IDA Tennessee series represents a growing movement toward integrated understanding of how children learn. Rather than labeling children with multiple separate conditions, this approach focuses on identifying and strengthening the root cognitive skills. For families exploring this path, research on mathematical learning patterns provides the scientific foundation for understanding how targeted practice creates measurable brain changes—and lasting improvement.
Every child’s brain is wired to learn—and grow. When we stop slapping labels on multiple “deficits” and start recognizing the connected roots of how children process information, we open doors to real improvement. The limitation industry profits from managing symptoms; families deserve approaches that build foundational skills. Your child’s brain can change, and often strengthening one core skill lifts multiple areas at once. If you’re ready to understand your child’s unique learning profile and build the skills that matter, the Learning Success All Access Program offers a free trial that includes a personalized Action Plan—and you keep that plan even if you decide it’s not the right fit.
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Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
References
- IDA Tennessee - Winter RISE 2026 Webinar Series Information
- Frontiers in Education - Dyscalculia and Dyslexia Comorbidity Research
