Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ's
Is learning disability the same as mental handicap?
Yes. However, mental handicap was a term used in the past which is now considered socially outdated and less descriptive. An individual with a learning disability is considered to have an intellectual disability not mental handicap.
(See section on Facts and Figures).
Is there any difference between learning disability and learning difficulty?
Yes. Confusingly the terms appear to get interchanged on many occasions but this should not be the case. Someone with a learning difficulty may not have an intellectual disability (an integral component of learning disability) but have specific problems that prevent them learning easily e.g. Dyslexia.
Strictly speaking, 'learning difficulties' should be more appropriately applied to people experiencing specific educational problems, which of course may be transient and eventually overcome.
(See section on Facts and Figures).
How many people have a learning disability?
The prevalence of severe learning disability is around 3 in 1000. There are around 210,000 people with a severe learning disability in England. The prevalence rate for mild learning disability is around 25 in 1000 with an estimated 1.2 million people in England affected.
(See section on Facts and Figures).
How common is Down's Syndrome?
Down's Syndrome is in fact the most common of all learning disabilities approaching around 30% of all severe learning disability and featuring in 1 in 1000 births.
(See section on Down's Syndrome)
Is Autism a learning disability?
No, it is a separate condition, but individuals with a severe learning disability are often found to have aspects of the syndrome.
(See sections on Autism)
What is meant by the term ASD when people talk about Autism?
ASD stands for Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It refers to a number of conditions which, although being generally similar, are considered to have specific clinical differences. Sometimes people will have symptoms from more than one of these conditions and clinicians then find it more appropriate to refer to matters in the more generic way as ASD/Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
(See sections on Autism
-Asperger Syndrome)
What is Asperger Syndrome and is it the same as Autism?
Some clinicians are still debating whether the conditions are the same or not. There are many similar traits but also differences between the conditions. Asperger Syndrome is part of the range of conditions which make up Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Asperger Syndrome is not a learning disability though it can be found as a discrete condition in some people with mild learning disability.
(See sections on - Autism
-Asperger Syndrome)
Is Cerebral Palsy considered a learning disability?
No, Cerebral Palsy is a separate condition. It may or may not cause learning and intellectual disability. Approximately a third of people with Cerebral Palsy have some degree of learning disability.
(See section on Cerebral Palsy and Learning Disability)
Is learning disability another form of mental illness or psychiatric disorder?
No. Both conditions are completely different and are supported or treated in the main by professionals who have different training and backgrounds.
(See section on What is Learning Disability?)
What is the difference between learning disability and mental illness?
Individuals with a learning disability have an intellectual disability generally acquired at birth and are likely to have some functional skills difficulties. There is no 'cure' or treatment to reverse the intellectual disability.
People with a mental illness generally have normal intelligence, experienced a normal upbringing and become mentally ill later in life. When psychiatrically disordered, their personality may change for a time or become unstable and they may even lose contact with reality and be in a fantasy world. Acute illness may need to be treated in hospital. There are many successful treatments for psychiatric illness.
(See section on What is Learning Disability?).
Can individuals with a learning disability become mentally ill?
Yes. Just like anyone else individuals with a learning disability can develop a separate mental disorder. Statistics show they are at a greater risk of developing psychiatric symptoms than the general population.
(See section on Mental Health Issues and Learning Disability)
What is meant when people talk about 'Valuing People'?
'Valuing People' is the name of a government White Paper published by the Department of Health in March 2001. It provides a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century, where the government sets out its commitment to improving the quality of life for people with learning disabilities. The 'Same As you' is an equivalent Scottish Executive document.
(See section on Values and Valuing People)
Where can I get a copy of 'Valuing People'?
It is available free from the Department of Health, P.O. Box 777, London SE1 6XH or there is a copy available to download from their website at www.doh.gov.uk
I have heard the terms 'inclusion' or 'social inclusion' used, what do they mean?
Social inclusion is a central feature of much of the government's social legislation. It is an integral part of the 'Valuing People (2001)' learning disability strategy. It is a policy, which attempts to combat the 'exclusion' of people from society who may be marginalised by poverty, unemployment, homelessness, ill health, disability or ethnicity and positively promotes their opportunities for greater participation in the community.
(See sections on - Values and Valuing People
- Inclusion)
Empowerment is a word used regularly by professionals. What does it mean for individuals who have a learning disability?
This refers to a process where people are encouraged to take a greater control of their own lives; to make important decisions for themselves, have their voice heard and fully access their rights. Some individuals with a learning disability will need the support of advocates to take up their rights and overcome social obstacles.
(See section on Empowerment).
Do individuals with a learning disability have the same rights as others?
Individuals with a learning disability are fellow members of society with the same rights as others. However, because of their vulnerability they may need the support and assistance of others to help access these rights and ensure their rights are not abused.
(See section on Rights)
What is PCP?
PCP stands for Person Centred Planning. It is a different way of supporting people and assessing their needs and helping to plan for the future.
In the past when individuals with a learning disability were assessed by professionals, it was very much from the service point of view. Information was gathered on the basis of what the service needed and would find useful. It concentrated very much on what people could and could not do. Rarely was personal aspiration and futures planning embraced and social identity promoted.
In PCP, the focus is very much on the individual at the centre of the process (rather than the agency), exploring their wishes and aspirations and personal plans for the future and working out what type of support will be required to facilitate these. It focuses on what is important to a person now and for the future.
(See section on Person Centred Planning )
What are MAPS and PATHS?
MAPS and PATHS are special techniques reflected in two different working styles used by workers engaging with someone in PCP. They relate to the nature of the final plan, which may be in the form of a MAP or a PATH, which has addressed where people have come from and where they are wanting to go.
(See section on Person Centred Planning)
Why do they call it 'challenging' behaviour?
There is a risk that when people see behaviour which they do not understand and which can appear meaningless, disruptive or aggressive and even self-injurious, they see it as a personal problem of the individual. An even more negative interpretation would be that such behaviour relates to a purposeful act by the person to be disruptive.
The 'challenge' is, essentially, for the service or others to try and understand why an individual needs to behave in the way that they do. Challenging behaviour can be seen as a communication problem in which we need to try and discover what the individual is trying to say through their behaviour. This challenge concept puts the emphasis and responsibility on organisations, professionals or carers to respond with a constructive solution to the difficulties. It should remove the notion that the difficult behaviour is an innate feature of an individual which they carry around as an integral part of their personality.
(See section Understanding and Responding to Challenging Behaviour)
Do many individuals with a learning disability show challenging behaviour?
Studies suggest that between 12 and 17 percent of the total population of people with learning disabilities will show some degree of challenging behaviour at some point.
(See sections - Facts and Figures
- Understanding and Responding to Challenging Behaviour)
Is it legal to restrain someone whose behaviour is very disturbed?
This can only be done in very exceptional circumstances when an individual might be a danger to themselves or others. Authorities have policies and procedures which can be examined regarding physical interventions. Staff should be specially trained in the procedures and are usually also versed in calming and de-escalation approaches.
(See section on Physical Interventions/Control and Restraint)
What are Risk Assessments?
Risk assessment look at the risks associated with certain activities or behaviour shown by an individual. Organisations have to not only consider risk to an individual with a learning disability through their duty of care, but also corporate risk. There are legal responsibilities on employers to keep both their service users and staff safe and not exposed to excessive risk. With sound policies and appropriate safeguards individuals with a learning disability can be supported to embrace reasonable and responsible risk taking.
(See sections on - Risk and Learning Disability
- Understanding and Responding to Challenging Behaviour).
Is a Risk Assessment the same as a Behaviour Assessment?
Yes, in the sense that a Risk Assessment could be considered a specific form of Behaviour Assessment. Behaviour Assessments are usually undertaken when trying to understand challenging behaviour. Evaluation of potential risks for the individual, staff and public would be a part of the considerations.
(See sections on - Risk and Learning Disability
- Assessment and Learning Disability
- Understanding and Responding to Challenging Behaviour)
What is a Comprehensive Assessment?
Comprehensive Assessment is a formal procedure, which is undertaken under the terms of The NHS and Community Care Act 1990. A local authority has a duty to assess people who appear to them to need community care services. They also have to publish the eligibility criteria you will need to meet to secure such community care services.
(See sections on - Assessment and Learning Disability
- Eligibility Criteria for Social Care)
What is a Direct Payment?
A direct payment is a cash payment given to disabled people in place of a direct community care service they would have been provided with by their local Social Services Department.
(See section on Direct Payments)
Eligibility Criteria are regularly referred to by my local Social Services Department. What exactly are these?
Eligibility Criteria describe the circumstances in which a local authority decides that someone has an appropriate need which entitles them to be given a service. The decision is taken on the basis of an assessment. Elaborate guidance given to local authorities by the Department of Health regards people's needs at various levels as 'Critical', 'Substantial', 'Moderate' or 'Low'.
(See section on Eligibility Criteria for Social Care)
Who, or what, are Citizen Advocates?
Citizen Advocates are ordinary members of the public who volunteer to befriend an individual with a learning disability for the long term and then, if the need arises, help to represent their views and opinions. Their primary purpose is friendship rather than advocacy. Citizen Advocacy originally started in the USA.
(See section on Advocacy)
What is instrumental advocacy?
This is where a specific issue is addressed on a person's behalf. Establishing an enduring friendship is not a component of this form of advocacy. The advocate will have some form of expertise i.e. housing law, benefits knowledge etc that needs to be utilised on the person's behalf. When the problem is resolved, the advocacy ceases.
(See section on Advocacy)
