Learning Disability Care

Believe it or not, an estimated 2% of the population has learning disabilities. That’s over 1 million people. Of that, less than a quarter (under 250,000) are registered with learning disability services.

All learning disabilities are the result of specific areas of the brain which do not develop properly or have become damaged.

It can be caused before birth, during birth or at any time during a person’s lifetime and may be the result of an inherited condition, a chromosome abnormality, complications during pregnancy or birth or as the result of an illness or accident.

Other factors like neglect and contact with damaging or radioactive materials can cause issues that lead to learning disabilities.

Learning disabilities can often come with secondary conditions. Typically, these may be physical disabilities or sensory impairment but in later life, they could include things like diabetes, mobility issues or illnesses.

Learning disabilities vary in nature so every person is different. If someone has a mild learning disability, they can lead a fairly independent life, taking care of themselves, their home, working and doing all the things we tend to take for granted.

In severe cases, a person may require help with almost all tasks (such as eating, washing, getting dressed and mobility) around the clock.

With the right support and guidance, a person with learning disabilities can lead a very rich and fulfilling life. Enjoying leisure activities, building relationships and being independent in all the ways they can.

A learning disability can broadly affect all levels of intelligence and the ability to learn new skills across every area of life. Down’s syndrome is classified as a learning disability.

Learning difficulties are much less severe, covering quite specific things which can make certain areas of learning more difficult, for example, dyslexia is classed as a learning difficulty as it makes processing certain information related to reading and writing a challenge.