Learning Disabilities

WHAT ARE LEARNING DISABILITIES?

When children are slower than their peers at learning and understanding new things, they are often said to have Learning Disabilities. A range of different skills can be affected including speech and language skills, social skills and motor skills.

Causes include genetic factors (e.g. Down’s Syndrome), infection before birth, brain injury at birth, brain infections or brain damage after birth. Often, the cause of the disability cannot be ascertained.

Some of the signs that a child has learning disabilities are as follows. The severity of these symptoms will often depend on how severe the Learning Disabilities are.

• Difficulty in learning new or complicated information;
• Difficulty in learning practical skills such as tying shoelaces and getting dressed;
• Difficulty in learning social skills such as holding a conversation;
• Difficulty in communicating;
• Low self esteem caused by comparing themselves to other children;
• Poor memory;
• Poor attention span.

Learning Disabilities can often be a life long condition but it should be stressed that they can usually be managed successfully. Whilst some children with profound learning disabilities may always require 24-hour care, many children with less severe Learning Disabilities often go on to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Learning Disabilities can often be categorised according to their severity. Levels include mild, moderate, severe and profound. The level of the disability is determined using IQ tests, behavioural competence tests and is assessed according to the child’s need for special services.

MILD OR MODERATE LEARNING DISABILITIES (MLD)

Children with MLD tend to have an IQ between 50 and 70. It is often caused by a combination of restricted learning and social opportunities. There is sometimes a high rate of low-average intellectual ability and learning disability in close relatives.

SEVERE LEARNING DISABILITIES (SLD)

Children with SLD tend to have an IQ of below 50. SLD often has a specific biological cause.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES?

Learning disabilities should be recognised as early as possible in a child’s development so that the appropriate advice and support can be provided. Before the child is at school, it is normally up to a Health Visitor to notice that the child is developing slowly.

As the child gets older, though, a Child Development Team can be established to work with them. The team normally includes community paediatricians, nurses, psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and psychiatrists.

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Although the information we have provided here is meant to be helpful to you, Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by any inaccuracy or reliance placed upon it. If you have any concerns about your child, you should seek professional educational or healthcare advice as soon as possible.