People with a learning disability vary greatly in terms of age, degree of disability and associated health problems. There are about 1,198,000 people in England with a learning disability, which is two per cent of the population.

What is a learning disability?

There are a number of ways of defining and classifying learning disability, which are open to different interpretations.

Mencap defines learning disability as “a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life.”

In Valuing People (2001), the Department of Health definition of a learning disability includes a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, or to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), and a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 2013, provides a medical definition of ‘intellectual disability’, which refers to limited functioning in three areas:

• Social skills (e.g. communicating with others)
• Conceptual skills (e.g. reading and writing ability)
• Practical ability (e.g. clothing/bathing one’s self).

From these definitions it is clear that a learning disability is lifelong and wide-ranging, with significant effects on the individual’s daily life and their families and carers.

Practice point

• Many people confuse a ‘learning difficulty’ with a ‘learning disability’. What do you understand by the term ‘learning difficulty’? Can you list any specific learning difficulties?

Causes of learning disabilities

There are many potential causes of a learning disability and these include:

• Chromosomal disorders and inherited conditions including Down’s syndrome
• Congenital malformations; for example, hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the brain
• Exposure to substances in the womb during pregnancy, for example, alcohol abuse
• Difficult or premature birth
• Infections including rubella (German measles), shortly after birth.

However for many individuals there will be no known cause of their learning disability. In addition, it may take considerable time for a person to be given a diagnosis and there may never be a specific diagnosis.