Abstract: With the deepening of research in the field of children with learning disabilities, more attentions have been paid to the issue of learning disabilities among adults by an increasing number of American scholars. After reviewing how the concept of “adults with learning disabilities（ALD）” was recognized and defined as a life-long condition, the identification standards and screening for the learning disabled adults were introduced; the latest research findings of American ALD research in developmental, cognitive, meta-cognitive and interventional aspects were summarized on an analytical basis. It is of great significance to note that the experiences gained to date by American scholars to cope with the existing problems such as inconsistency of ALD definition and identification，lack of long-term follow-up studies, etc will provide valuable references to and enlightenment for the upcoming implementation of ALD research in China.

Key words: adults with learning disabilities, reading disabilities, meta-cognition, instructional intervention.