Learning disabilities Flashcards
What are the 3 diagnostic criteria for learning disabilities?
Intelligence- significantly reduced (general) ability to understand new or complex information and to learn new skills
Functioning- reduced general ability to cope independently
Onset- either present from birth or emerges through a child;s early developmental years
How do we measure intelligence?
IQ- measure of intellectual functioning
Estimate
4 areas: verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed
What can affect IQ? (when doing testing)
Mood, psychotropic medication and sleep deprivation
How does the severity of LD affect what support the pt needs?
Mild LD- can often live independently with varying levels of support
Moderate LD- less likely to live independently, will require support which varies from light level to continuous
Severe- will need significant and continuous help with daily living
What is the course of LD?
Pts have difficulties throughout their life span
They can learn new skills- environments have big impact, skills need to be supported
However, their overall level of functioning and dependency remains fairly constant over time
Learning disabilities vs learning difficulty?
NOT the same
Learning difficulty is of 2 types (general + specific) and not as severe as learning disabilities
What is a general learning difficulty?
Likely to have cognitive impairment, just NOT AS SEVERE as in learning disabilites range, but below average
May struggle with range of tasks and need support in education
Can usually live independently
What is specific learning difficulty
E.g. dyslexia
Learning problems limited to one or more specific areas (e.g. reading and writing)
Not related to overall intelligence
What is developmental delay?
Only used with children, can be specific or global
What is specific developmental delay?
Will be behind most of their peers in a particular area (e.g language skills) but in all other regard their development is typical
What is global developmental delay?
Will have been late in reaching their developmental milestones compared to most of their peers and be behind their peers in a range of areas.
How tell the difference between LD and developmental delay?
Hard!
Key difference:
Child with developmental delay continues to show evidence of development and continues to acquire personal, social and educational skills and abilities but at a LATER age to their peers
Child with learning disability slows down in development and the gap between themselves and their peers gradually increases over time
IQ range for most people?
85-115
Normal distribution curve
IQ for pts with LD?
Usually score below 70
Problems with IQ testing?
When you score an IQ test, you use confidence intervals and ranges of scores, where there are large differences between composite scores, Full scale IQ cannot be concluded
Lots of factors can contribute/ depress IQ scores- stress, low mood, medication, preganncy
What is CTPLD?
Community team for people with learning disability
Requirements for CTPLD care?
Have a learning disability
Be unable to access mainstream services, even with reasonable adjustments
Have a clinical health need that the CTPLD can support
How do you assess LD
Initial assessment: gathering info from 3 domains (intelligence, functioning and onset), may be clear at this point,
If not: Clinical psychologists review the information and if it still remains unclear then an initial assessment is completed by a clinical psychologist,
this usually involves gathering a developmental history, a good account of functional ability and psychometric assessment to estimate IQ
What is a LD?
A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills with;
A reduced ability to cope independently and;
Which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development
What legislation is there to protect pts with LD?
The Equality Act 2010 - The Public Sector Equality Duty /Equality Delivery System (EDS)
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA)
The Human Rights Act (1998)
What are the barriers faced by individuals with LD?
Communication
Physical access
Lack of accessible information
Fear of health professionals
Lack of time
Physical enviromnent
Poor info from carers
Poor support
Lack of education
Lack of preparation
Consent
Additional needs
Diagnostic overshadowing
Low expecation
Bias / prejudice from healthcare professionals
What are the IQ ranges for different LD?
Mild- 50-69 (89% of all pts w LD)
Moderate- 35-49 (6% of all pts with LD)
Severe- 20-34 (3.5% of all pts with LD)
General functioning of pts with mild LD
Delayed expressive language, but everyday speech is usual
Reasonable comprehension
Usually fully independent in eashing, eating, dressing and normal continence
Possible independent living
General functioning of pts with moderate LD?
Delayed expressive language, but uses simple phrases only
Comprehension limited to simple phrases/requests
Limited self care, supervision may be required, but mainly continent
Needs some supervision in living
