Eligibility decision making process

If it is not possible to make a decision based on the information available on the referral, we will offer an Initial Contact Assessment (ICA) that involves a face-to-face meeting with the referred person.

The aim of this is to gather further information about the person's

• developmental history
• physical and mental health
• education and work
• adaptive functioning
• and social context

The assessment will also give us a chance to conduct a direct observation of their cognitive functioning (e.g. through observations of their receptive and expressive communication skills).

When it is possible to gather clear information about a person’s functioning in relation to the global learning disability range, referrals are responded to at this stage with a decision about eligibility for CLDS input.

Differential diagnoses

When we assess for a learning disability, we consider both the cognitive and adaptive functioning of the person. There are many people who would score a Full Scale IQ of 69 or less on an assessment of cognitive functioning but who do not have significant problems in adaptive functioning, so would not meet criteria for a global learning disability.

Other people who are unlikely to be considered to have learning disabilities include:

• people whose impairments in cognitive or adaptive functioning occurred after the age of 12 years, for example as a result of neurological illness or injury, mental health problems, drug or alcohol misuse.
• people who experience specific learning difficulties, including Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, which is associated with difficulties in specific areas of their functioning – rather than a global learning disability, that affects all areas of functioning.
• people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder who do not have a global learning disability, i.e. higher functioning autism that was previously known as ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’.