The purpose of this article is to report on the conclusions obtained from a research conducted to investigate parents' perceptions on specific learning disabilities. Participants were 211 fourth grade student's parents. Data were collected in a city in the north of Portugal, using a questionnaire. Results indicate that 1) the vast majority of parents reported having heard or read about the topic of Specific Learning Disabilities; 2) a significant number of parents have no clear understanding of the conditions associated with specific learning disabilities; 3) the majority of parents expressed that they would be very concerned if one of their children were found to have specific learning disabilities; but about half of them have never thought that this kind of situation could happen in their family; 4) fewer parents expressed concerns about underlying social stigmas associated with specific learning disabilities; 5) the overwhelming majority of the parents considered that additional resources should be allocated to those children with specific learning disabilities.
Special Education; Parents; Learning disabilities; Specific Disability