Could this person have a specific LD?

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by TracySam

I said above, this is not how he generally speaks. I also specifically said above that English is his first language, and his parents are/were also native speakers.

I know that you said that this is not how he generally speaks. My point is that writing is an issue for a lot of people, regardless of many years spent in school.

Re: English being his first language, are you sure? I ask because many of the other posters brought this issue up. If African American vernacular English is his first language, then he would not be a native speaker of standard English.

[Tracysherm]

Originally Posted by StarlaJane

If African American vernacular English is his first language, then he would not be a native speaker of standard English.

That's a bit of a stretch. Most people would never consider a black person growing up speaking the vernacular to be in an ESL category!

[mcwick]

To diagnose an LD, you'd have to know whether his IQ is normal and, depending on which method you use (We use the new X-BASS) administer certain intellectual and academic subtests from the major test batteries. Without that information, it's impossible to diagnose an LD. I think it's more likely a lack of education in writing (either poor teaching or lack of attention on his part) rather than a genuine inability to write correctly.

Maybe create a style guide for him if you don't already have one.

[krmb]

Originally Posted by TracySam

Hi, I'm a mental health professional, and although I can diagnose all sorts of mental health disorders, I'm not very familiar with the specific learning disorders that you Education folks might be more familiar with.

My guess would be he is speaking his native tongue, and the native tongue of most Americans, bad English, and he hasn't learned how to correct himself when writing. Bad grammar is an issue for a lot of people in the United States, and, unless this kid ever planned to become an English teacher when he was going to college and therefore took a set of intensive grammar and writing courses, he hasn't broken the habit of writing the way he probably learned to speak, even if he's learned to correct it when talking.

Other things it might be:

It might be related to dyslexia or ADHD; they sometimes have trouble paying attention to written letters. Does he make a lot of spelling errors?

It might be a short-term memory issue.

[Rubi3]

After earning a degree in LD, I taught in a school where it had never before been offered. Some of the students were ED and some simply couldn't read, but appeared to be intelligent. It was a very difficult task and I only did it for 2 years. My burn out rate went fast. For many, it takes 4 years. I was green in the teaching field and the school took advantage of that.

It was high school and one student needed credits in Economics and I knew little on the subject and handed him a textbook to read and write papers weekly. He was very intelligent, but ED. A few years after graduating he murdered a woman, pled guilty and may still be in prison, I don't know.

One young man said he wanted to read more than anything in the world, but he either couldn't or wouldn't do anything to help in that direction. If seemed as if he wanted someone to tap him on the shoulder and exclaim, READ, and it would happen.

Help for most of these students came too late, since for one reason or another they had been shuffled around in school and passed from grade to grade without learning much. I know at least 2 were helped and possibly 3, but I could no longer deal with taking five steps back for every 2 steps forward.

[tiredtired]

I work with someone who is black and very intelligent. I got an e-mail from him today, and just out of curiosity, I looked at the tenses of the words. Sure enough, he wrote exactly the way the OP described.

I have no idea if the person the OP is talking about is black or not, but if so, it is more likely to be a cultural thing than a LD.