2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F81.9Developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified
ICD-10-CM Codes›F01–F99›F80-F89›F81
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not a Principal Diagnosis
- Chronic Condition
F81.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Neurodevelopmental disorders.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for F81.9.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Basic learning problem
- Borderline cognitive developmental delay
- Cognitive developmental delay
- Congenital abnormal shape of frontal bone
- Developmental academic disorder
- Developmental academic disorder due to iodine deficiency
- Developmental academic disorder due to iron deficiency
- Developmental academic disorder due to micronutrient deficiency
- Developmental academic disorder due to nutritional stunting
- Impaired ability to learn new material
- Learning difficulties
- Nonverbal learning disorder
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and absence of functional language with loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and complete impairment of functional language with loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and complete impairment of functional language without loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and marked impairment of functional language with loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and marked impairment of functional language without loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and pervasive impairment of functional language without loss of previously acquired skills
- RIDDLE syndrome
- Slow learner
- Trigonocephaly
- Trigonocephaly, short stature, developmental delay syndrome
Tabular List NotesGuidance
Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.
Inclusion Terms
- Knowledge acquisition disability NOS
- Learning disability NOS
- Learning disorder NOS
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
- development - R62.50
- intellectual (specific) - F81.9
- learning - F81.9
- delayed - See Also: Delay, development; - R62.50
- learning skill - F81.9
- knowledge acquisition - F81.9
- learning - F81.9
- Disorder (of) - See Also: Disease;
- developmental - F89
- learning - F81.9
- learning (specific) - F81.9
- psychogenic NOS - See Also: condition; - F45.9
- learning - F81.9
- Learning defect (specific) - F81.9
External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance
References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.
- Delay, delayed
- development
- intellectual (specific)
- Delay, delayed
- development
- learning
- Development
- delayed
- learning skill
- Disability, disabilities
- knowledge acquisition
- Disability, disabilities
- learning
- Disorder(of)
- developmental
- learning
- Disorder(of)
- learning (specific)
- Disorder(of)
- psychogenic NOS
- learning
- Learning defect(specific)
- Problem(with) (related to)
- learning (developmental)
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are conditions that affect the ability to learn. They can cause problems with:
The full article covers:
- What is a learning disability?
- What causes learning disabilities?
- How are learning disabilities diagnosed?
- What are the treatments for learning disabilities?
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert F81.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About F81.9Overview
Is F81.9 (Specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Can F81.9 be a principal diagnosis?
No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of F81.9?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified converts to ICD-9-CM 315.9 (development delay NOS) and V40.0 (problems with learning). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
Footnotes
[1] Chronic - a chronic condition code indicates a condition lasting 12 months or longer and its effect on the patient based on one or both of the following criteria:
- The condition results in the need for ongoing intervention with medical products,treatment, services, and special equipment
- The condition places limitations on self-care, independent living, and social interactions.
