LD is an enduring condition with manifestations that vary across individuals and over time. While the condition doesn't go away (or get fixed) its academic impact and emotional complications can be significantly ameliorated.

Students with LD have the common need for focused, intensive, and consistent instruction in more than one area of basic academic skill. In addition, many students with learning differences have a striking lack of general knowledge and curiosity. They are lively kids with IQ's in the normal range. Each student needs concepts to be repeated, vocabulary to be clarified, an extraordinary amount of focused practice and frequent help extracting what's important. Each student must put in 2-3 times the time and effort as their classmates to achieve an adequate level of performance.

In order to develop long-term coping skills, students with LD need "significant others" to show them enduring understanding and encouragement. As the demands of each grade level change over the years, students are posed with new obstacles and need to rely not only on hard won skills, but also a willingness to identify trouble spots, seek help, and use available supports, including compensations. They will need to understand themselves well, to make adequate progress. The setting of the classrooms profoundly affects how and whether students with LD will thrive. For this reason, it is important for parents, teachers, and school systems to gauge particular environments for particular students, remembering that needs shift with age and other developments.