It’s Learning Disability Week from 14 to 20 June 2021 and this year’s theme is art and creativity.
We know that the challenges children with additional needs face such as discrimination and bullying may lead to lower self-confidence and social exclusion, putting them at a higher risk of developing mental health issues
Learning disability statistics: children
Incidence of learning disabilities are most common amongst younger boys.
* It is estimated that there are 286,000 children (180,000 boys, 106,000 girls) age 0-17 in the UK with a learning disability.
* Approximately 200,000 children in England are at the School Action Plus stage of assessment of SEN or have a Statement of SEN and have a primary Special Educational Need (SEN) associated with a learning disability. Of these, four out of five have a moderate learning difficulty, one in twenty have profound multiple learning difficulties.
* In very early childhood, only severe learning disabilities are likely to be apparent
* Children from poorer families are more likely to have a learning disability
* Moderate and severe learning difficulties are more common among ‘Traveller’ and ‘Gypsy/Romany’ children. Profound multiple learning difficulties are more common among ‘Pakistani’ and ‘Bangladeshi’ children
* Overall, 89% of children with moderate learning difficulty, 24% of children with severe learning difficulty and 18% of children with profound multiple learning difficulty are educated in mainstream schools (Source: People with Learning Disabilities in England 2011)
Learning Disability Week is a chance to raise awareness about the issues that are important to people with a learning disability, their families and carers.
The Making Changes Together website has a wealth of useful information and website links to other organisations who cam support children with a learning disability.
MCT are a group of experienced parent carer volunteers from County Durham who represent the interests of parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and or disabilities in County Durham. They do this by working in partnership with the Local Authority, Health and Social Care also other groups and organisations ( locally, regionally and nationally ) to influence service provision and highlight the issues and needs of the families we represent.
https://www.mctdurham.co.uk/useful-websites/