Here's a useful rule of thumb I've been advised by professionals to use to help determine whether what I am looking at is a learning style issue or a sign of an actual learning disability:
A learning style preference is an area of relative strength that makes learning in that way more enjoyable. A learning disability is an area of relative weakness that makes learning in that way difficult (or impossible), and requires an increased level of effort that may create fatigue, extend the time needed for mastery, and/or diminish the quality of the learning and/or the associated work product.
