Do I have a learning disability or intellectual disability?

[Gymnastxo96]

If some of you were here on my last thread you said I had an intellectual disability because of my IQ of 76 and my low adaptive behavior score. Why do some people think it’s just a learning disability? It’s not right? What is my future like?

OP is this new thread really a good idea? You didn’t like the last thread. Are you hoping people will tell you something different which you do like here?

Yeah I think this new thread is a good idea! I want to start new and I asked a question if for a fact if I have intellectual disability or if it’s a learning disability. I asked something completely different. I want to know more information about my disability.

It makes no difference what you call it.

Your future very much depends on your decision making and actions. You should try and get the most you can out of life. A career, friends, hobbies etc. maybe some therapy?

If you are in the UK you have a learning disability. 'Intellectual disability' is not used here, although some NHS trusts seem confused on this point.

Learning disability and intellectual disability are terms for the SAME thing.

OP, no one can answer your questions for you. No one knows what your future will look like. And you are based in the USA so a lot of of the information which is UK based won’t be relevant to you.

Same meat, different gravy.

I wouldn't get too hung up on whether it's specifically this or that OP.

Chances are the low iq and behaviour are part of a wider diagnosis which would fall within a Learning Disability. You spell behaviour the US way, are you in US or using diagnostic software from there?

It is understandable that you want to know this but a bunch of strangers on the internet cannot give you the answers you want. You don't seem to trust the people who know you best but they are the people with the information you need. Having a low IQ would be an intellectual disability but someone with an intellectual disability might also have a separate learning disability. As was explained on your other thread there are lots of different types of intelligence and you may score a lot higher in some kinds. The answers you seek cannot be generated without extensive analysis by a professional.

I think the best use of your energy is to seek a US charity that offers advocacy and support for people with mental impairments eg https://thearc.org/ and ask them to help you to understand your capabilities better.

(@LIZS the OP said she's in USA in her previous thread)

@CandyEnclosingInvisibledidn't see previous thread, thanks. Not much point in majority of posters replying then!

Yeah I posted a thread on here before! It was how do I deal with being misdiagnosed by my psychologist

Candy, you have autism, a low IQ and other conditions. It's right that you want to understand more about your conditions and how they affect your life.

Autism is often called a learning disability or a learning difficulty.
Some people call autism a learning difference.
It doesn't really matter which terms someone uses.

Autism makes your mind work in certain ways. This can make it harder to understand stuff.

Many people with autism struggle to understand emotions. Autism can make it hard to understand your own emotions and other people's.

Low IQ may be called an intellectual disability or an intellectual impairment.
It may also be called a learning disability or a learning difficulty, like autism is.
It doesn't really matter which terms someone uses.

I think you said your IQ is 87, is that right?
An IQ of 87 is not a severe intellectual impairment.
You can read and write.
You can follow simple instructions but you can't remember them for long.

This makes it harder to get things done in the everyday world.

Because you don't remember instructions for long, it is harder for you to stay safe. You need someone to help you to stay safe.

An IQ of 87 makes it harder to understand how one thing leads to another.

Because of this, you may find it difficult to understand why things must be done in the right order.
You also may not understand why some things must not be done. This is because it's hard for you to predict when things will lead to bad results.
You need someone to help you learn what things to do, and to tell you about bad results that may happen.

Autism and low IQ cannot be changed. It's just how some people are born, same as some people are shorter than other people.
People with autism and low IQ can learn ways to cope. This may mean having someone to support and guide them.

Other conditions

It wasn't very clear in your other thread, but it seems you may have a mood disorder and a nervous system disorder.
These can make you feel very emotional.
They may make you behave in ways that other people find strange.
Other people are not always patient with behaviours they find strange, they may be unkind to you or try to take advantage.
You may need someone to protect you.

These conditions can be medicated, though medication's not always successful.

It's a very good idea to contact The Arc for special needs information and guidance.

Good luck, and thank you for coming back here!

@GarlicFind you started your post with Candy but I am not the OP. I think you meant to address your comments to @Gymnastxo96.

All those advising OP on this thread might find it useful to read through the previous thread at https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnetters_with_sn/5507784-how-can-i-deal-with-being-misdiagnosed-by-my-psychologist - not to reopen or keep discussing the separate issues there: as @Gymnastxo96 states, this is a different thread with a different opening question. However that thread is helpful for getting a better knowledge of how OP manages things which will be useful for forming replies here.

I did, @CandyEnclosingInvisible, I'm sorry!

She's right, @Gymnastxo96, I should have started my long post with your name.

The doctor said my IQ was about a 76. Not an 87. I can read and write and very high functioning. You think I also have bipolar disorder? And what nervous system disorder?

I'm not your doctor, I only have your posts to go by. You should ask your doctor these questions. Also your mum!
Your mum and your doctors know you best 🤗

You need to ask about the component scores for your IQ - some may well be higher/lower than others.

Ok you said you think I have a mood disorder. How come?

This is really important @Gymnastxo96 - the aspects of intelligence that have enabled you to learn to read and write etc are just one part of it. Other parts of intelligence are to do with how you cope with unexpected situations, and apply things you have learned in one context and apply them to a different context, how long it takes you to process new information and lots of other things. There is no shame in having difficulties with these things, you need to trust the people who love you to help you to understand what you can cope with and what you need support with.

What happened to the 2nd thread?

The second thread got reported and deleted. This is a new thread. But the first one I talked about how I thought I was misdiagnosed.

The second thread I talked about how I thought I was misdiagnosed and people thought I was mentally challenged.

You are right so why did other people in my last thread say I have a mental age of 12?

People on mumsnet are not qualified professionals and do nof know you. You need to talk to the professionals who actually see and meet you, and your mum who loves and cares for you, and get your information from them. I have no idea what your mental age is but you don't seem to understand the limits of the usefulness of a mumsnet thread. We cannot diagnose anything and we cannot confirm or deny any of the assertions that you make about your own opinions of your capabilities nor what you report as statements from people who have been involved in your care. We simply cannot know. We can share what we do know but that's not necessarily going to help you much.

You are right I really should speak to a professional about it! I don’t know why they also said that I shouldn’t have kids because of my disability. They wrong for saying that? I feel like that’s eugenics.