Learning Disabilities

Understanding learning difficulties for adults

Learning disability was defined in a 2001 policy document, as “a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), combined with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), which started before adulthood.” Learning disability is different from learning difficulties, which relate to a specific form of learning difficulty, such as dyslexia (reading), dyspraxia (affecting physical co-ordination) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

Learning disabilities are caused by something that affects the development of the brain either before birth, during birth, or in early childhood. Causes include:

• An inherited condition – for example, Fragile X syndrome
• Abnormal chromosomes – for example, Down’s syndrome or Turner syndrome
• Exposure to environmental toxins or infections and illness during pregnancy
• Very premature birth
• Complications during birth, resulting in a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain
• Illness – for example, meningitis or measles; or injury or trauma to the brain in early childhood

However, the cause in some cases remains unknown and irrespective of the cause, the experience of living with learning disability is different for everyone.

Health inequalities for people with learning difficulties

Compared to people without a learning disability, people with a learning disability tend to experience poorer physical and mental health, including a greater likelihood to have a chronic illness. They also tend to have poorer life experiences as they are less likely to have a job, more likely to live in poverty and more likely to be bullied or discriminated against.

Please see the Data Dashboard for data on people with learning disabilities in Central Bedfordshire, their housing and related social services.

The easy read version of the Learning Disabilities JSNA

The easy read version of the JSNA explains how learning disabilities affect health and why this is important. It also explains the findings of the JSNA including what is going well for people in Central Bedfordshire with learning disabilities and what needs to be improved.