Learning Disabilities Flashcards
ICD-10 definition of learning disability
Diagnostic criteria emphasises need for deficits in :
- Intellectual functioning (IQ)
+ - Adaptive functioning
+ - Onset must be before adulthood
how is severity of learning disability determined
by adaptive functioning instead of IQ
what is adaptive functioning
how well a person handles common demands in life
how independent they are compared to others of a similar age and background.
what is DSM-5 definition of learning disability
Limited functioning in 3 areas
- Social skills (communicating with others)
- Conceptual skills (reading & writing)
- Practical ability (bathing one’s self)
what is the general definition of learning disability
A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and in learning new skills (impaired intelligence) with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development
what are the different terminology for this disabilty
ICD 10 and DSM 4: mental retardation
ICD 11 and DSM 5: intellectual disability
DoH: learning disabilty
factors of Learning Difficulty
Onset during infancy / childhood
Impairment / delay in functions related to maturation of nervous system
Steady course, without remission / relapse (usually diminishes progressively with age)
How does learning disability differ from a learning difficulty
a learning difficulty does not affect general intellect
examples of learning difficulty
Dyslexia, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia and dyscalculia
classes of the Disorders of Psychological Development
F80 Specific developmental disorders of speech & Language
F81 Specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills e.g. dyslexia
F82 Specific developmental disorder of motor function
F83 Mixed specific developmental disorders
F84 Pervasive developmental disorders e.g. Autism, Atypical Autism, Rett Syndrome
average IQ stats
95% of the population have an IQ between 70 & 130
68% of the population have an IQ between 85 and 115
expected IQ at AGES depending on severity of disability
IQ
AGE
Mild (85%)
50-69
9 – 12 y
Moderate
35-49
6-9y
Severe
20-34
3-6y
Profound
< 20
<3y
Criticism of IQ
IQ scores are not fixed throughout life
Difficult to measure in more severe learning disability
No formal measure of adaptive / social function
Subdivisions vary within and between countries
DSM-5 does NOT rely on IQ score
what is the average intelligence
According to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, an averageIQ scoreis between 90-109.
what is Borderline Intelligence
Not coded in ICD
Generally understood as IQ 71 – 84
1 SD below mean IQ & 1 SD above LD cut off
Associated with higher rates of mental illness
Other comorbidities e.g. ADHD, autism because they are higher functioning than LD
Forensic issues, substance misuse
Gap in clinical service
what are some e.g., of IQ tests
Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
prevalence in the UK for learning disabilty
Approx 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability (Mencap)
england employment facts
7907 ages 18-64 in paid employmet in 2017/18 where a higher proportion is men
the history of learning disabilities- 17th century
Social mobility a significant feature of society as people travelled in search of employment
Elizabethan Poor Law Act (1601): Restricted the movement of beggars, invalids, people with LD
Segregation by creating ‘workhouses’ as they were considered to be social and economic burden
the history of learning disabilities- the industrial revoulution
Demand for new technical skills amongst workforces
People with LD were singled out - perceived as having neither social or practical competencies - hence regarded as financial burden
the history of learning disabilities- what is Eugenics: GALTON 1883
Improving inborn human qualities through selective breeding (Galton 1883)
Western countries competed to become the most powerful and industrial nations globally.
Galton set out to consciously “improve the race.”
He coined the word eugenics to describe efforts at “race betterment.”
Imperialism served to strengthen the belief of ‘survival of the fittest state’ termed as Social Darwinism Bowler 1990
“..the danger lies in the fact that these
degenerates mate with healthy members of
the community and thereby constantly drag
fresh blood into the vortex of disease and
lower the general vigour of the nation.”
what was The Mental Deficiency Act: 1913
defining disabilities into 4 categories
- idiots
- imbeciles
- feeble
- moral defectives
what were the idiots
persons so deeply affected in mind from birth or from an early age as to be unable to guard themselves against common
dangers.
what were the imbeciles
persons who whilst not being as defective as idiots were still incapable of managing their own affairs
what were the feeble
Feeble-minded persons - persons who whilst not being as defective
as imbeciles still required care, supervision and control for their own protection or for the protection of others.
who were the moral defects
persons who from an early age display some permanent mental defect coupled with vicious or criminal propensities on which punishment has had little or no effect.
