Any one got diagnosed with a learning disability as a adult?

[Samsamspanner10]

Hi has any one ever been diagnosed or know anyone diagnosed with a learning disability as a adult?
My parents didn't want me labelled with learning disabilities so I have struggled all my life.
The GP is refusing to put me in for learning disabilities. He says they don't do it for my age bracket. Does anyone know how I can be assessed?

Your GP is talking rubbish.

Speak to the charity Mencap. They support people with a learning disability and have a really good helpline. They also have info about how to get on the GP learning disability register.

I have an older sister with Down Syndrome and Mencap have always been super helpful.

Friend was diagnosed with dyslexia mid 20s.

Main advantage was for his mental health, he'd always been told he was stupid, didn't try, etc. Now he knows this was never true.

Dyslexia is very different, it's a learning difficulty, not a learning disability.

What do you mean by a learning disability?

My mum was diagnosed with learning disability at age of 70. She had some peculiar blood pressure measurements and they decided to check her chromosomes. Either one is missing or part of it is unclear because she can’t remember what doc said. She did quite poorly at school and quite emotionally unstable.

I'm assuming you mean Dyslexia? I think there's a lot of adults in the UK who are probably undiagnosed.

Also Autism comes under the learning disability umbrella and there are many pathways to getting an assessment for this.

Dyspraxia on the other hand is a nightmare these days as most trusts just don't assess adults. You can however, pursue a private assessment.

(I'm Autistic and have ADHD and was diagnosed as an adult of 50 years + and have suspected Dyspraxia)

They are learning difficulties, not disabilities

Sorry, I was trying to read between the lines as the OP didn't give any context. My sister had a severe learning disability related to her Downs syndrome, but that wouldn't be possible to get to adulthood without being noticed tbf.

Yes people do get to adulthood without being diagnosed with a Learning Disability but I would say it's mostly an issue in people over 40 as anyone younger than that will mostly have been picked up at school now. It tends to get picked up in adulthood when the adults who have been providing support for the person and masking the issue are no longer able to do so through age or death.

It's very common for adults including younger adults to be assessed as having get a Learning Difficulty e.g dyslexia or dyspraxia

Autism is something separate again- some people who have Autism may also have a Learning Disability or a Learning Difficulty. But many don't.

You absolutely can be tested as an adult for a Learning Disability and your GP can refer. If what you are meaning is a Learning Difficulty then as an adult you may have to pay privately to get this assessed.

You can pay privately to see a clinical or educational psychologist, or a specialist assessor if you think you might be dyslexic. The British Psychological Society website has a register of qualified assessors and for dyslexia you can look at those with an Assessment Practising Certificate here
https://www.patoss-dyslexia.org/tutor-index-landing

The terminology is confusing and doesn’t seem to be standardised internationally.

The International Dyslexia Association, based in the US, does refer to dyslexia as a disability. Other organisations call it a difficultly or a disorder or a difference.
And though MN is based in the UK, posters come from all over.

I’m not in the UK and I always say intellectual disability rather than learning disability for conditions affecting iq.
I was taught that learning disabilities were things like dyslexia 🤔

A learning difficulty is something specific, a learning disability affects someone more globally. That doesn't stop someone with a severe learning difficulty being disabled, but it isn't a learning disability, if that makes sense anyway!

Having a Learning Disability means that your IQ at (qualified) testing is under 70. It’s a technical term, meaning that you have a significantly impactful overall cognitive impairment. Most people with a diagnosed LD are unable to live fully independently in adulthood, or compose a legible message on Mumsnet.

Do you mean a learning difficulty (or an SpLD: a Specific Learning Difficulty) ie things to at fall under the ‘dys’ family such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, etc?

A Learning Disability is usually diagnosed pre-adulthood due to the nature and impact of it. An SpLD is more commonly diagnosed at any age, and often (these days!) into adulthood if the challenges encountered were not recognised in childhood/during education.

@Assssofspades
In the UK that seems to be true, but the terminology differs depending on where you are. If, as an non-expert, you’re based in the UK but then read an American paper, you can easily get mixed up. They do seem to refer to dyslexia as a learning disability.

Also dyslexia can affect someone in many more ways than just reading so it can be considered global perhaps.

Autism is categorically not a Learning Disability, and does not come under any such “umbrella”.

People with an LD may certainly also have co-occurring autism. People with learning difficulties (or SpLDs) may also have autism. But many autistic people do not have a Learning Disability, or an SpLD.

No, Dyslexia affects the reading, processing and so, comprehension of text.

Dysgraphia is the (often linked) condition that impacts writing.

Dyscalculia impacts more numerical content, but not only ‘maths’ and numbers, but also things like telling the time, being able to accurately gauge time passing, and some more motor based skills (for example easily telling your left from your right, and then reversing that).

Dyspraxia impacts motor and coordination skills, and is now more often known as DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder).

All of these ‘dys’ conditionals are Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs). They’re not Learning Disabilities.

It may well be different in the US, but we’re on a UK site so it’s important that people here know the differences.

In answer to your original question OP, you’ll need to pay privately/independently to be assessed for any of the ‘dys’ conditions. Even children in most, if not all, parts of the UK aren’t assessed anymore without going private. Our county doesn’t even do dyslexia assessments via schools. No funding! Which is scandalous, but we are where we are.

"A learning difficulty is something specific, a learning disability affects someone more globally. That doesn't stop someone with a severe learning difficulty being disabled, but it isn't a learning disability, if that makes sense anyway!"

This is not the case in education law. In the England SEND Code of Practice learning difficulties can be either specific (such as dyslexia, NVLD) or general (basically, lower IQ). General learning difficulties can be mild, moderate or severe. What is called (moderate) "general learning difficulties" in education is equivalent to a mild learning disability in health - IQ between 50 and 70.

Educationalists will tend to describe learning difficulties as specific or general.
Health profs will say learning disabilities for general LD.

In case anyone is interested

learningdisabilitiesbild.pdf https://share.google/BaRgu5cdYBLTboU6V

Info on education Vs health and social care terminology.

Absolutely, but from a health perspective, as the OP is approaching this via the NHS and I would assume is not in education, what's said is appropriate.

Mmmm... you don't automatically come under the definition of LD just due to having autism!

Yes, but I’m just trying to point out that the terminology doesn’t seem to be consistent internationally or even within Europe. It’s important to be aware of this if you’re reading info from, say, an American site, to avoid confusion.
And as @DrRuthGalloway has said the terminology isn’t consistent even between professionals in the UK.

i have a family friend who was diagnosed with a genetic learning disability after her child was diagnosed. She thought she was ‘just thick’ (her words) she is in her 60’s and had she only had her second child (more mildly affected like herself) then they probably wouldn’t of been diagnosed at all.

These replies are crackers. Dyslexia is not a learning disability.

difficulty and disability are extremely different

it’s highly unlikely that you would get to adulthood without a diagnoses of an Learning Disability.

I’m a registered learning disability nurse (hello other RNLDs). It’s a field of nursing just like adult, child and mental health but people don’t tend to know about or understand what a “learning disability” is and, as others have pointed out, it is not helped by the different terminology used in Education. Lots of people are able to get through life without a formal diagnosis, particularly where there is a spouse and family around to help navigate it. Learning disability is recognised in legislation and there is a lot of research about health inequalities so it is important we identify people who might need extra help and support.

If it is a learning disability diagnosis you are after, OP, I would be interested because of all the diagnoses people are seeking currently this is the one most people would avoid - there is enormous (completely unjustified) stigma still about this characteristic. Your first port of call might be your GP and you might want to think about the things you struggled with as a child e.g. did you attend a special school, did you attain any qualifications, what sorts of things do you need help with? If it is a dyslexia/dyspraxia assessment you are after then you will need to do that privately so give it a Google for a local service. At the very least you’ve created an opportunity for us to raise awareness about learning disability, so thank you!

If anybody is interested in learning disability nursing as a career here is a link to more info (shamelessly plugging): https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/nursing/roles-nursing/learning-disability-nurse