The Risk Involved With Learning Disabled Individuals

In addition to the difficulties individuals with learning disabilities meet with in their day to day lives, there is a greater risk involved for these individuals as well.

The most common risk factors faced by these individuals are temperament, developmental delay, early antisocial behavior, disturbed peer relationships, biological/genetic factors, lack of parenting skills, parental psychopathology including chronic poverty, lack of parenting skills, parental psychopathology, chronic family discord, and lack of social support for the child and the family.

Other then these, because of their learning disabilities these individuals are also faced with a greater risk in relation to school failure, school drop out, and substance abuse. These occur because of the negative peer influence, lack of standard expectations for nonuse, alienation from a lack of bonding to school, family and community.

As the learning disabled fall under the most vulnerable groups in society, they would face risks related to individual psychology, health, old age, family and employment.

With regard to employment they would face issues in entering the labor market, maintaining a stable and secure employment, getting themselves entitled to welfare benefits, and having inadequate training in a more flexible labor market. These are all risks any individual with learning disabilities could meet in the future when seeking employment.

At family level, learning disabled individuals could be faced with risks related to the changes in gender relations, facing problems related to the increasing costs for raising children under flexible jobs, entering into a married life, where the family model exist as dual bread winners.

Also when these individuals are entering into old age, they could face risks related to receiving an adequate pension at retirement, which could be because of the flexible working career and insufficient social insurance contributions, and meeting the minimum requirements required to have access to pension due to constant increase in retirement age.

Health wise also individuals with learning disabilities could be faced with risks. For e.g. they may not be able to receive adequate medical treatments due to budget constraints of health funds. They may not be able to pay their health insurance contributions due to unemployment, or securing adequate medical assistance for a sick parent not covered by a health insurance. Also there is a risk involved with the individual having a long-term illness.

Most of the learning disabled individuals face the greatest risks with regard to individual’s psychology because of high stress levels, alcohol and drug abuse, decrease of life satisfaction, and deterioration of living standards.

Although these risks do exist, keeping them in mind is necessary, but there is no real need to worry as with proper care and treatment, individuals with learning disabilities can also reach great and even greater heights than normal individuals.