Learning disability
A distinction is to be made between LD and dementia, the former originating early in life and the latter after 18 years of age, although not reversible, much can be done to enable people with LDs to live as normally as possible.
Abstract
Disorders of intellectual development— or learning disability (LD)— denote a permanent impairment of intelligence associated with limitations of social functioning. A distinction is to be made between LD and dementia, the former originating early in life and the latter after 18 years of age. Although not reversible, much can be done to enable people with LDs to live as normally as possible. It is helpful for doctors to have basic knowledge of LD so they have an approach when the patient presents with physical or mental health problems and know when to refer to psychiatry. Several interchangeable terms are used to describe people with intellectual impairment originating early in life, including: … ● LD (common term used in Europe) ● Intellectual disability ● Disorder of intellectual impairment ● Mental retardation (this term is being phased out for ICD- 11 and has been removed from the DSM- 5). … The term LD implies more than intellectual impairment. It aims to separate those who cannot lead a near- normal life from people of the same IQ level who can. Patients with LD can be subdivided into categories which tend to be prognostically very useful (Table 19.1 and Box 19.1). A LD is not a clinical diagnosis in its own right, just a way of describing a particular clinical syndrome of impairments with disability and handicaps. The underlying diagnosis is the cause(s) of these impairments, which may or may not have been identified. The terms impairment, disability, and handicap are not interchangeable. The value of their use is in describing an individual’s specific needs, irrespective of their aetiological diagnosis. … ● Impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physical, or anatomical structure or function. It is not dependent upon aetiology. ● Disability is any restriction in the ability to perform an activity within the range considered normal for a human at a corresponding level of development. ● A handicap is a disadvantage for a person, due to their impairment or disability, that prevents them from fulfilling a role that is normal for that individual…. The definition of LD as an IQ less than 70 (in combination with an impairment of function) is based upon the assumption that IQ is normally distributed with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15.