News Release, 14 February 2007
A new report from the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities and Lancaster University has found that children with learning disabilities are six times 1 more likely to have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder than other children in Britain.
According to The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents with Learning Disabilities in Britain, the increased risk of mental illness is not always caused by a young person’s learning disability, but instead because of exposure to greater poverty and social exclusion than experienced by non-disabled children.
The report, based on the experiences of over 18,000 children aged between 5 and 15 years old, says that one in three (33 per cent) children with learning disabilities are likely to have a mother with mental health needs and nearly half are living in poverty (47 per cent). Young people with learning disabilities also have fewer friends than other children living in Britain and are more likely to suffer abuse and be involved in serious accidents.
Eric Emerson, the report’s author, says:
“It is no surprise that children with learning disabilities experience higher rates of mental illness when they are much more likely to be exposed to poverty, social exclusion and challenging family environments than their non-disabled peers. If the mental health of young people with learning disabilities is to be improved, the Government must take steps to address the social circumstances under which this vulnerable group is living.”
While the report found that children with learning disabilities are at an increased risk of mental illness than other children in Britain, nearly half (44 per cent) of the families surveyed said they did not receive sufficient help from medical professionals, social workers or mental health services.
Alison Giraud-Saunders, Co-Director of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, says:
“The Foundation is currently working with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to ensure that those with learning disabilities get the support they need. But services still have a long way to go - we need schools, primary care, local communities and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to work together to prevent mental ill-health and support this vulnerable group.”
Footnotes
- 36 per cent of children with a learning disability experience a diagnosable psychiatric disorder compared to 8 per cent of their non-disabled peers – the odds ratio (which is used to quantify risk) is 6.5
- The experiences of the 18,415 children were taken from two surveys conducted by the Office for National Statistics in 1999 and 2004
Key Report Findings
Friendships
- 33 per cent of children with learning disabilities find it harder than average to make friends
- 25 per cent find it difficult to keep friends
- 14 per cent have no friends
Social circumstances of children with a learning disability;
- 47 per cent are living in poverty compared to 30 per cent of all British children
- In 30 per cent of households, neither parent is in employment, compared to 14 per cent of households with children without learning disabilities
- 30 per cent of children with learning disabilities live in a single parent household
Social circumstances of children with a learning disability AND mental health problem;
- 53 per cent live in poverty
- 44 per cent have a mother who is likely to have mental health needs
- 38 per cent are living in households where neither parent is in employment
- 38 per cent live in a single parent family
Services and support;
- 56 per cent of carers said they received helpful support from services. The most helpful source of support was said to come from the child’s teacher (42 per cent)
- 15 per cent of families did not know what support was available
- 6 per cent said services were reluctant or unwilling to see their child
Note to editors
For further information please contact the Press Office on 020 7803 1130 / 1128 or email Press Office.
The Foundation promotes the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families. We do this by working with people with learning disabilities, their families and those who support them to:
- Do research and develop projects that promote social inclusion and citizenship
- Support local communities and services to include people with learning disabilities
- Make practical improvements in services for people with learning disabilities
- Spread knowledge and information.
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