Learning disabilities Flashcards

1
Q

How many people in the UK have a learning disability?

A

around 1.5 million

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2
Q

How many people in the UK have a diagnosis of a severe learning disability?

A

around 350,000

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3
Q

What are the diagnostic criteria for a learning disability (Public Health England, 2016)?

A

a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn new skills - impaired intelligence
a reduced ability to cope independently - impaired social functioning
these will have started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development

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4
Q

According to Morgan (2016), people with learning disabilities have difficulties with which type of behaviour?

A

adaptive behaviour
this might involve difficulties with forward planning, executive thinking, prioritisation and problem solving
short-term memory is likely to be poorer than average

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5
Q

Learning disabilities are divided into which four categories?

A

mild, moderate, severe, profound

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6
Q

What is the typical IQ range for people with a mild learning disability?

A

50-69

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7
Q

What is the typical IQ range for people with a moderate learning disability?

A

35-49

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8
Q

What is the typical IQ range for people with a severe learning disability?

A

20-34

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9
Q

What is the typical IQ range for people with a profound learning disability?

A

> 20

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10
Q

What are the typical abilities of people with a mild learning disability?

A

may live independently
may be employed
may have children
may be in relationships
may need minimal support
may have some academic ability – may have attended mainstream school
able to have conversations - may be concrete/repetitive
able to carry out activities of daily living - may need some support
may have some additional health needs
life expectancy 62 (LeDeR, 2019)

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11
Q

What are the typical abilities of people with a moderate learning disability?

A

may need some support in aspects of life (e.g. finances, accessing health care)
likely to be able to manage and complete daily tasks (e.g. personal care, meal preparation)
may attend mainstream school but will need support
some communication - may be concrete/repetitive
will have additional health needs
life expectancy 63 (LeDeR, 2019)

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12
Q

What are the typical abilities of people with a severe learning disability?

A

likely to have high support and care needs
likely to require support with a range of daily activities
may have behaviours that challenge
may have some verbal communication - unlikely to be able to communicate verbally
limited receptive ability
may have sensory needs.
life expectancy 57 (LeDeR, 2019)

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13
Q

What are the typical abilities of people with a profound learning disability?

A

likely to need 24-hour care and support
likely to require support with all aspects of daily living
likely to have physical disabilities as well as a learning disability
likely to have neurological conditions
likely to have sensory impairments
communicates needs through non-verbal methods - unlikely to be able to communicate verbally
limited receptive ability
life expectancy 45 (LeDeR, 2019)

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14
Q

How is a learning disability diagnosed?

A

specialist and detailed neurodevelopmental history taking
genetic testing
sometimes the use of screening assessment tools

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15
Q

In 2018, how many adults in the UK had a learning disability?

A

1,130,000
England - 951,000
Wales - 54,000
Northern Ireland - 31,000

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16
Q

What is the definition of a learning disability according to the Department of Health and Social Care (2001, p. 14)?

A

significant reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), which started before adulthood

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17
Q

What is the definition of a learning disability according to Mencap (2020, p. 1)?

A

a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities (e.g. household tasks, socialising or managing money), which affects someone for their whole life

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18
Q

What is global developmental delay (GDD)?

A

a person displays significant developmental delays across several areas of development
e.g. gross and fine motor skills, speech and language and social, emotional and behavioural

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19
Q

What is a profound and multiple learning disability (PMLD)?

A

a person has a severe learning disability in addition to disabilities that significantly affect their independence and ability to communicate
e.g. severe difficulties seeing, hearing, speaking and moving
they may have complex health and social care needs due to these or other conditions

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20
Q

What percentage of people with a learning disability live as part of a couple (Mencap, 2018)?

A

3% (in comparison to 70% of the general adult population in England)

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21
Q

What percentage of adults with a learning disability have mental health problems (Mencap, 2018)?

A

40% (more than double the rate in the general population)

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22
Q

In 2018, how many people in the UK had a learning disability (Mencap, 2018)?

A

1.4 million

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23
Q

What percentage of UK sports clubs lack appropriate equipment for people with a disability (Mencap, 2018)?

A

64%

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24
Q

What percentage of disabled adults between 18-34 feel lonely (Mencap, 2018)?

A

85%

25
Q

How much more likely is it for children with special educational needs to be bulled regularly (Mencap, 2018)?

A

twice as likely

26
Q

What is the average age of death in the UK for men overall compared to men with a learning disability (LeDeR, 2018)?

A

men overall - 83

men with a learning disability - 60

27
Q

What is the average age of death in the UK for women overall compared with women with a learning disability (LeDeR, 2018)?

A

women overall - 86

women with a learning disability - 59

28
Q

What percentage of over 16s play sport at least once a week compared to over 16s with a disability or long-term illness?

A

over 16s overall - 36%

over 16s with a disability or long-term illness - 17%

29
Q

What percentage of adults with a learning disability known to their local authority in England are in paid work?

A

6%

30
Q

What percentage of young people have a low income in families where someone has a disability compared to families where no one has a disability?

A

families where someone has a disability - 22%

families where no one has a disability - 10%

31
Q

What are the potential causes of a learning disability?

A
illness during pregnancy that led to changes in foetal development (e.g. viruses, mumps or meningitis)
genetic links (e.g. Down syndrome)
related to labour and diminished oxygen available to the foetus 
sometimes idiopathic (e.g. it is suggested that 30% of people with epilepsy have a learning disability)
32
Q

What is the prevalence of Down syndrome (genetic)?

A

40,000 in the UK

33
Q

What is the prevalence of Fragile X syndrome (genetic)?

A

1 in 4000 men and 1 in 6000 women

34
Q

What is the prevalence of autism and Asperger’s syndrome?

A

700,000 (1 in 100)

35
Q

What is the prevalence of Prader-Willi syndrome?

A

1 in 12,000-15,000

36
Q

What is the prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders?

A

2-5% of the population

37
Q

What are some of the barriers to accessing healthcare experienced by people with a learning disability (Heslop et al., 2013; Tuffrey-Wijnes et al., 2013; Allerton and Emerson, 2012)?

A

lack of accessible transport links
patients not being identified as having an LD
staff having little understanding about LD
failure to recognise that a person with an LD is unwell
failure to make a correct diagnosis
anxiety or a lack of confidence for people with an LD
lack of joint working from different care providers
not enough involvement allowed from carers
inadequate aftercare or follow-up care

38
Q

What conditions particularly affect people with a learning disability?

A
CVD (22%)
hypertension (14%)
osteoporosis (13%)
eyesight and hearing (21%)
obesity (37.5%)
depression (13%)
39
Q

According to NHS Digital (2020), how many times more likely are people with a learning disability aged 0 to 74 years to die in the period that would be expected for people in the general population in the same age and sex group?

A

3.87-4.11 times

40
Q

How many times more likely are people with a learning disability to have health problems than the general population?

A

5 times

41
Q

What percentage of people with a learning disability are admitted to general hospitals each year compared to the general population?

A

people with a learning disability - 26%

general population - 14%

42
Q

How many times more likely are children and young people with a learning disability to have mental health problems than other young people?

A

6 times

43
Q

What percentage of people with a learning disability have epilepsy?

A

about 30%

44
Q

How many times more likely are people with a learning disability to die of preventable causes than the general population?

A

4 times

45
Q

How many times more likely are people with a learning disability to die before the age of 50 than the general population?

A

58 times

46
Q

At what age are people with a learning disability eligible for an annual healthcare check in primary care services?

A

14 years

47
Q

What are some key areas that are assessed in an annual health check?

A

ability to consent
immunisations and allergies
additional support needs and reasonable adjustments
functional life skills/daily living skills
sexual health and contraceptive advice
physical symptoms - examination and measurements
behaviour and mental health
latest test results
medication review
end of life care
safeguarding concerns

48
Q

What is diagnostic overshadowing?

A

occurs when a health professional makes the assumption that the behaviour of a person with a learning disability is part of their disability without exploring other factors such as biological determinants

49
Q

What is the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR)?

A

established in 2015
funded by NHS England
aims to improve health and social care for people with learning disabilities and reduce premature mortality and health inequalities
as part of their work they review the deaths of people with learning disabilities

50
Q

What is the purpose of the TEACH acronym?

A

designed to help you think about common reasonable adjustments you can make to your practice to ensure you comply with the Equality Act 2010

51
Q

What does TEACH stand for?

A
Time
Environment
Attitude
Communication
Help
52
Q

What is one of the ‘recommendations made by reviewers for local action’ as part of the Birmingham and Solihull Annual LeDeR Report 2019?

A

healthcare professionals must support and protect the rights of individuals who lack capacity

53
Q

What are the four areas LeDeR has highlighted as important in making a difference nationally?

A

sepsis, constipation, dysphagia, cancer

54
Q

What is the social model of disability?

A

a person’s disablism is due to environmental, structural, and attitudinal barriers, rather than the individual’s impairment

55
Q

What is positive behaviour support (PBS)?

A

provides a framework for gaining a greater understanding of challenging behaviour and what purpose it may serve
this allows the people working with the individual to change their actions/the environment in a way that may reduce the challenging behaviour without removing the purpose it serves

56
Q

List some methods and resources to improve communication between health professionals and people with learning disabilities.

A

easy-read resources
hospital passport
communication flashcards
Makaton

57
Q

What is Makaton?

A

a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate
it supports the development of essential communication skills (e.g. attention and listening, comprehension, memory, recall, organisation of language and expression)

58
Q

What is the ‘Making a Difference toolkit’?

A

resources are arranged into themes and contain over 40 components
aims to promote understanding of living with a learning disability
this allows healthcare professionals to adjust the care they deliver and help people with a learning disability access the services they need