Learning Disabilities in Adults
Learning disabilities in adults are neurological disabilities that negatively impact information processing. They could affect how an individual learns, communicates, understands, and remembers information. Some adults are born with learning disabilities (LD) whereas others acquire them at a later stage in life.
How adults with Learning Disability are diagnosed?
Such adults are diagnosed in a clinic. A review of the person’s medical, developmental, educational, medical, family history, responses to academic interventions, and teacher observations are done minutely. Usually, psychologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, school psychologists or psychological counselors evaluate patients with LD.
Causes of Learning Disability in adults
A number of reasons contribute to LD in grownups. LD often runs in families. Many patients with LD have parents or relatives with similar issues. LD can also be the result of injury or illness caused before or during birth. Lack of oxygen, low birth weight, and premature or prolonged labor are other causes of LD due to birth problems. As these individuals grow up, LD issues become evident. Some adults acquire LD due to head injuries and exposure to toxic elements.
Characteristics of people with Learning Disability
Adults diagnosed with LD can have some positive as well as negative (difficulty) characteristics. Positive characteristics include persistence, problem-solving skills, empathy, compensatory strategies, and outgoing personalities.
Areas with difficulty include poor memory, eye-hand co-ordination issues, and inability to distinguish between numbers, letters, and sounds. Such people may also experience difficulty with writing, reading, and math. Plus, they may face issues putting things in the right order or sequence.
Managing learning disabilities in adults
People with LD should know and speak up what they need. Understanding learning challenges, finding suitable solutions, and asking for resources can ease the condition to a great extent.
They should work with their employer in order to create a supportive environment such as accessibility to software that can help to succeed. Regular counseling and assistance from medical experts can also resolve the issue substantially.
