Learning Disability Week (the third week of June) is a time to celebrate the strengths, raise awareness, and shine a light on the experiences of people with learning disabilities. While much of this conversation often centers on children and young adults, it’s equally important to recognize the unique challenges faced by older adults with learning disabilities. In this post, we’ll explore these challenges and highlight community disability resources in Washtenaw County.  

 

What is a learning disability? 

Learning disability is an umbrella term for a variety of disorders that affect how your “brain takes in and uses information.” examples of learning disabilities include dyslexia (difficulty reading), dysgraphia (difficulty writing), and dyscalculia (difficulty understanding math and numbers). It’s estimated that 10% of Americans are diagnosed with a learning disability.  

 

Unique Challenges 

• Learning disability services are usually aimed at school-aged children. Service providers may not be used to working with older adults and may have unconscious bias or ageist assumptions. 
• About 50% of older adults with learning disabilities are chronically lonely (versus 15-30% of the general population). 
• People with learning disabilities are 2.5 times more likely to have health issues.  
• People with learning disabilities are more likely to develop dementia.  
• Someone with a learning disability may have trouble understanding verbal or written medical instructions or remembering to take their medications.  
• People with learning disabilities may have trouble finding work, resulting in them not being able to save enough for retirement.  

 

Getting a diagnosis 

• An optional first step towards getting diagnosed is to complete a learning disability screening. This is more informal and costs less than an assessment. A screening cannot give you a diagnosis, but it will tell you if there’s a suspected learning disability. Click here for more information from the Learning Disabilities Association of America.  
• An assessment is completed by a professional and can cost between $500-$2,500. Sometimes insurance will cover the fee. Another option is to look for a clinic that charges on a sliding scale. Click here for more information from the Learning Disabilities Association of America. 
• Local clinics offering assessments: 
  • Center for Neuropsychology, Learning, and Development (CNLD) (734) 994-9466 
  • Literacy, Language and Learning Institute (3LI) (734) 973-6001 
  • U of M Psychological, Autism, and Testing Services (734) 615-7853  

 

Resources  

• Disability Network Washtenaw, Monroe, Livingston 
• Disability Rights Michigan (serves all of Michigan. Information and referral) 
• Legal Services of South Central Michigan (can help with benefits or defend the loss of benefits/disability programs) 
• Michigan Ability Partners (housing) 
• My Information and Advance Care Plan via British Institute of Learning Disabilities 
• Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy 
• Washtenaw Learning Disabilities Association (mostly aimed at students, but does provide information on learning disabilities)