What is a learning disability?

A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works.

It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things like making friends, managing money or doing jobs around the house.

A man is scratching his head reading a book

People with a learning disability can take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and talk to other people.

A woman is helping a young girl with her school work

With the right support, a lot of people with a learning disability in the UK can lead their own lives.

Three young people. Two have Down syndrome.

People with some conditions can have a learning disability, like people with Down syndrome and some people with autism .

A lady shrugging her shoulders with a question mark beside her.

Some people get mixed up about the difference between having a learning disability and having a learning difficulty like dyslexia .

Mencap think dyslexia is a learning difficulty because it does not change how much someone can learn or do.

You can find out more about learning difficulties on our website.

A graph showing Mild moderate and Severe levels

There are different types of learning disability:

mild
moderate
severe or profound.

Mild means just a little.

Moderate means quite a bit.

Severe or profound means a lot.

A support worker sits in front of a woman in a wheelchair, drinking coffee together.

The amount of support someone should get depends on the person's needs.

Someone with a mild learning disability may only need a bit of support like getting a job.

Someone with a severe learning disability would need a lot more care and support with everything they do.

A calendar showing June 1972 with Friday 10th circled in red next to a picture of a baby

A learning disability can happen when the brain is still growing before someone is born, or soon after they are born.

A woman in a dress who has a big tummy because she is pregnant

A learning disability can happen before birth if the mother has an accident or illness, or if the unborn baby has certain genes.

Genes are chemicals in the body that hold information like what we will look like.

A drawing showing where the lungs are in a person

A person can be born with a learning disability if they do not get enough oxygen as they are being born, damages their head, or is born too early.

A woman wearing a dressing gown is asleep on two pillows lying under a rug

After being born, a learning disability can be caused by child illnesses, an accident or fits.

A learning disability can be diagnosed at any time.

Diagnosed is when you are told you have a condition or illness by a doctor.

For some people it can take years before they are diagnosed with a learning disability.

A man searching for a webpage on a laptop sitting at a desk

Find out more about a learning disability diagnosis on our website .

A woman with a headset and a speech bubble which has an image of a signpost inside

If you want help or support about learning disability you can contact our Learning Disability Helpline.