A learning disability happens when a person’s brain development is affected, either before they are born, during their birth or in early childhood. As a result of this a person may have a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities for example relationships, responsibilities, household tasks, socialising or managing money , this will affect someone for their whole life. People with learning disabilities need the right kind of support so they can make their own choices and decisions about the things that affect their lives.
Some people with a learning disability also have other physical and emotional conditions, and may receive more than one diagnosis.
Learning difficulties can be classed as mild, moderate or severe and therefore the level of support will differ greatly from person to person.
Autism affects the way a person communicates and relates to other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
Everyday life for people with autism can be confusing, frightening and lack meaning. People with autism often find understanding and communicating with others particularly difficult, which can leave them feeling isolated.
People with autism may also experience some form of sensory sensitivity or lack of sensitivity, for example to sound, touch, taste, smell, lights or colour.
Asperger’s syndrome is thought to fall within the spectrum of Autism. It affects social communication, social interaction and social imagination. Individuals with Asperger’s syndrome have communication difficulties and may talk at great length about a topic that is of particular interest to them irrespective of the reaction of those around them. It can be difficult to for them to interpret social signals, interact with others and respond in an appropriate manner. They often excel at memorising facts and figures and prefer structured routines. Individuals with Asperger’s may show a love of routines, have special interests that they can obsess about and display sensory difficulties with sight ,smell, touch, i.e. bright lights, loud noises, over powering smells.
Down syndrome is a genetic condition that typically causes some level of learning disability and a characteristic range of physical features. In some cases, babies with the condition are identified before birth as a result of antenatal screening, however some children will be diagnosed in early childhood due to specific characteristics and developmental delay.
All of these conditions require specific tailor made support for the client, families, friends, partners, to better understand and manage their individual needs and behavior.
As case managers at Tania Brown Ltd we can help assist and integrate appropriate support services in order to establish a bespoke framework to support individuals who display challenging behavior or maybe present a risk to themselves or others. They may require specific support from a Neuropsychologist in order to set clear and simple guidelines and a structured and systematic approach to the identification, assessment and management of risks associated with challenging behaviours.
If a support worker team is required at Tania Brown Ltd our case managers can assist you with the recruitment and selection of appropriately trained care staff to promote independence and help to develop useful strategies that are required for everyday life. To help to develop skills to enable clients to be able to deal with domestic, personal, financial and social aspects of the world they live in. We are also able to monitor an individual’s progress and titrate their needs of support as required, referring onto the relevant health practitioners/support groups as needed, and focusing on their own aims and goals for the future.