The prevalence of learning disability in a Health and Social Services Board in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The Southern Health and Social Services Board is one of four in the province and encompasses three administrative areas. The survey included ascertained mild cases of learning disability, and both ascertained and unascertained individuals functioning at levels below IQ 50. The prevalence of mild learning disability is within the limits reported in the literature and is discussed in the context of the 'new morbidity'. However, the rates of severe learning disability (IQ < 50) in all three areas are high--between 7.9 and 10.2 per 1000 in the 15-19-years-old age group--and confirm the findings of an earlier survey. Half of all cases live at home in 'intact' families. In families with a sole carer, the mother is seven times more likely to fill the role than the father.

Adult persons with intellectual disabilities on the island of Ireland

“…In the United Kingdom, the Department of Health (2004) estimated around 5.00 per 1000 adult persons in England required ID services. In Wales, 4.30 persons aged 16 years and over were known to local authorities in 2003 (Felce 2004) whereas in parts of Northern Ireland, rates of up to 9.04 per 1000 have been reported (McDonald & Mackay 1996). Similar variations in rates are reported in Spain with 5.4 per 1000 in Catalonia as compared with a national average of 3.3 per 1000 (European Intellectual Disability Research Network 2003).…”

The Contacts that People with Learning Disabilities Have with Health and Social Services

“…However, this varied for each age band with a peak of 9.16 per 1000 in the 10-19 age grouping and gradually falls to 2.33 per 1000 for the over 60 years. These figures are higher than the generally accepted four per 1000 quoted for Great Britain (McDonald & McKay 1996).…”

Prevalence of intellectual disabilities in Norway: Domestic variance

“…The diagnostic practice may be different, whereas the services and cultures of care and treatment vary across the nation. Migration from rural to urban areas during the last decades has taken place in Norway and most Western countries and a ‘new morbidity’ as described by McDonald & MacKay (1996) linking poverty and changing lifestyles with developmental delays may have influenced the distribution of ID across the nation. National variation on the prevalence of ID has been studied in other countries, i.e.…”

“…National variation on the prevalence of ID has been studied in other countries, i.e. in Ireland (McDonald & MacKay 1996; McConkey et al. 2006).…”