There are many different types of learning disability, yet the term ‘profound and multiple learning disability’ is often quite specific. There are a number of distinctive characteristics that would determine whether someone is diagnosed with PMLD, so what exactly are the implications of having profound and multiple learning disabilities?
Learning disabilities are not a description of an entire group of individuals, as this only makes up for a part of their characteristics. Every individual is different when it comes to learning disabilities, even though the term itself can be useful or convenient when planning services or in discussion. When it comes to identifying the disability, it’s important that you do so based on the individual characteristics of the person as not all characteristics of a specific disability are the same.
In order to identify a specific disability, you need to focus on three conditions which include intellectual impairments, an early onset of any characteristics associated with learning disabilities and social or intellectual dysfunction. You will find that most of the above will be noticed during childhood, which is when we progress development more than any other time during our lives. Learning disabilities do not develop in later life, whether it’s illness, disease or a degenerative disease such as dementia.
As there are different degrees of learning disabilities, such as profound and multiple learning disabilities for instance, it is important to find a reliable method of identification for these disabilities. One way of doing so is to measure a person’s IQ, with 50-70 likely to mean someone has a mild learning disability. 35-50 often means moderate learning disabilities and 20-35 tends to mean sever. An IQ score below 20 is classified as a profound learning disability.
As you would expect, the use of IQ scores is not always supported across the board when it comes to identifying learning disabilities. Some people may score higher in some areas than they do in other despite their score being low. Therefore, it is widely accepted that IQ scores cannot be the sole method of identifying a learning disability. What usually affects a learning disability the most and determines the level of support required is environment and lifestyle.
Profound is another word for extreme, in which case profound learning disabilities are the most severe. Anyone with a profound form of learning disability tends to require regular day-to-day care with certain activities including feeding, washing and communication. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities tend to also have physical, mental and sensory issues that restrict their capabilities and often require many hours of support each day.
Profound and multiple learning disabilities require the same amount of regular support throughout an entire lifetime, which is different to someone with moderate learning disabilities. Moderate disabilities may lead to differentiating amounts of support as experiences change and new situations and circumstances arise throughout their lives.
Profound and multiple learning disabilities are one of the major contributors to a lack of communication, with emotions, opinions, requirements and needs all extremely difficult to portray. This makes it hard for someone with these types of disabilities to fit in socially and within a community. Profound and multiple learning disabilities make it hard for people to understand and use both verbal and formal communication which means they rely on facial expression, body language and vocal sounds. Other people are often required to assist in interpreting for people with severe disabilities on their behalf. People with severe and profound disabilities must have sufficient support and a solid network around them at all times. This ensures that their individuals needs, methods and behaviours are met and that they can live with equal rights among society.
Education and health services have developed over the years to promote independent living for people with learning disabilities that are particularly severe.
Article provided by Axcis Recruitment – an education specialist based in Kent, aiming to provide top class candidates for supply, short term and permanent roles within the learning and development sector.