Supporting a young person with a learning disability
“Eye contact needs to be consensual. So if a young person is, like, giving you eye contact, then you should give it back. But if they’re trying really hard not to look at you, then maybe look past them or look to the side or just not directly at them.” Jamie 17 years old If you are supporting a young person with a learning disability, it is important that you know the individual well enough to determine their usual feelings and behaviour. You should also have some knowledge about what a learning disability is and in what ways it is different to other types of conditions or disabilities. If in doubt, you should speak to the young person’s legal guardian before offering to support them, in order to get a better understanding of their situation and what risk factors they may be living with. During your support, remember the concept of intersectionality and how other areas of their identity may impact the levels of discrimination they have faced. Other areas of their identity may The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises that a learning disability is defined by three core criteria: lower intellectual ability, significant impairment of social or adaptive functioning, and onset during childhood. Note that the term ‘intellectual disability’ is increasingly used internationally (174). The International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) classifies the severity of learning disabilities as mild, moderate, severe, and profound (175). A young person with a learning disability may have difficulty with everyday activities, such as household tasks, getting dressing, socialising, or managing also impact the way they feel about themselves. Understand what a learning disability is
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