Early Literacy 321 Practice Test

When decoding written text, success hinges on language processing skills such as phonological awareness, the ability to map sounds to letters, and blending those sounds into words. If a student struggles here because of weaknesses in language processing, this pattern fits a language-based learning disability. These difficulties are specifically tied to how language is learned and used, which affects reading, spelling, and sometimes writing.

The other possibilities describe problems that would show up in different domains: visual impairment would involve trouble with seeing print or tracking lines; hearing loss would affect processing spoken language rather than the language-based decoding skills used for reading; motor coordination disorders affect movement and writing mechanics rather than the cognitive processes behind decoding. So the description best maps to a language-based learning disability.