If someone has a learning disability, this may impact their ability to learn new skills, understand complex information and communicate. Autism is not a learning disability, but learning disabilities can co-occur at higher rates in autistic people compared to non-autistic people.

Through research, we can understand more about learning disability and autism and how they interact together, allowing for personalised approaches that suit someone's specific needs.

Key facts

• If someone has a learning disability, they may need additional support to communicate, learn new skills and understand complex information.
• Just like how no two autistic people are the same, every person with a learning disability is different, with varying strengths and support needs. Many people with learning disabilities can live independently with the right support, while others may need full-time care.
• Autism is not a learning disability. However, learning disabilities are more common in autistic people than in non-autistic people.
• We need more research into learning disabilities and autism, as it is currently an under-researched area. Research can help create breakthroughs to help autistic people with a learning disability live happier, healthier and longer lives.

About learning disabilities

Someone might have a learning disability if, from an early age, they find it difficult to understand new or complex information and could benefit from support to learn new skills or to live independently.

If someone has a learning disability, they may have one or more of several conditions. Each person with a learning disability is different and will have different strengths and support needs.

People with learning disabilities may need additional support with:

• Adapting behaviour to different situations
• Interacting with other people
• Understanding complex information
• Learning new skills
• Language, whether written or spoken communication

Many people with learning disabilities will be able to live independently with the right support, but others may have multiple support needs and require full-time carers.

There are four categories of learning disability: mild, moderate, severe, or profound. These categories relate to the level of support a person may need. For example, someone with a mild learning disability may be able to live independently with the right support, whereas someone with a profound learning disability may need full-time carers.

A learning disability is sometimes referred to as intellectual disability, though within the UK, learning disability is the terminology used and preferred by the community.

Learning disabilities can be confused with learning difficulty, but the latter refers to a specific type of learning challenge experienced by a person, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia.

Some adults with a learning disability may become subject to the Mental Capacity Act, which acknowledges extra support for decision-making is required that is strictly guided by a protocol of what is in their best interests. For example, if an autistic person with a learning disability might benefit from medication to help their mental health, clinicians and other people who work with and care for a person would come together to form a consensus. These meetings must have multiple perspectives to show all decisions have been made in someone’s best interest. Although this process means accessing things like medication can take time, it ensures clinicians can act together in someone's best interest. Read more about the Mental Capacity Act on the NHS website.

People with learning disabilities have higher rates of mental health problems compared to people without learning disabilities. Likely contributing factors include:

• Less access to support and coping skills
• Negative life events
• Other people’s attitudes
• Unmet needs 
• Lack of staff skills in mental health services for people with learning disabilities

Learning disability and autism

Many autistic people do not have a learning disability, and many people with learning disabilities are not autistic. However, learning disabilities are more common in autistic people compared to non-autistic people.

Current research suggests about 1 in 3 autistic people have a learning disability, but this varies between age groups. For example, in people under the age of 19 who have an autism diagnosis, up to 12% have a co-occurring learning disability. In contrast, in diagnosed autistic people aged 50-59, the prevalence is around 40%³, as autism is often underdiagnosed in older adults.

Some autistic people speak few or no words, but this does not necessarily mean that they have a learning disability. They may be able to communicate through other means, such as in writing.

Epilepsy can be common in people with a learning disability. The prevalence of epilepsy increases with the severity of the learning disability that someone may have. Epilepsy is also more common in autistic people than in non-autistic people. Learn more about epilepsy and autism.

Both autistic people and people with learning disability experience barriers to healthcare, which is amplified if someone is autistic and has a learning disability. One study reviewed existing research on this topic and identified several key barriers.⁴ These included communication differences, lack of understanding among healthcare professionals, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and challenges in navigating healthcare systems. Autistic individuals with learning disabilities face compounded difficulties, often experiencing more severe barriers. The researchers highlighted the need for healthcare providers to be better educated and equipped to support these groups. They also stressed the importance of tailored approaches to address an individual’s unique needs in healthcare settings.

In one study, researchers analysed data from a large group of children and adults in Scotland to understand how learning disabilities and autism impact mental and general health⁵. They found that being autistic or having a learning disability both independently increased the odds of someone having a mental health problem, more so for autism. They also noted that both contributed to higher rates of physical health problems, especially if someone has a learning disability. Identifying and addressing the specific needs of these individuals could help improve the health and wellbeing of autistic people with learning disabilities.

The combination of learning disabilities and autism is under-researched. However, some researchers are finding novel solutions to help more autistic people with learning disabilities take part in research.

Support for learning disabilities and autism

Jump to: Support from charities
See your doctor and other medical professionals Social care and support Join the learning disability register

Support from charities

Charities such as Mencap offer a variety of services to support people with learning disabilities, as well as their families. Mencap has local branches and their website has plenty of useful information, such as what to do about diagnosis and how to access support.

See your doctor and other medical professionals

Your doctor can give you advice about learning disabilities. You can also talk to your doctor about referring yourself or your family member for a diagnostic assessment, which is done by a specialist like a clinical psychiatrist at an NHS Trust service.

Autistic people tell us that going to the doctor or any clinical setting can be stressful because they may have had a bad experience they did not understand might be helpful for them or feel that health professionals do not understand their personal needs. Using tools like health passports may help your doctor learn about you or your family member and your/their needs.

It is the law that reasonable adjustments must be made in health and social care. You can tell your healthcare staff what reasonable adjustments you/your family member need(s), such as using video calls in place of in-person appointments. They can use the reasonable adjustments digital flag, so you don’t need to explain every time you use an NHS service.

Social care and support

Once diagnosed by a clinical psychiatrist such as at CAMHS or an adult learning disabilities service in an NHS trust, social services can offer a social care assessment to create a care plan from your local authority. This will outline what kind of support is available to help meet your or your family member's needs, how it will be provided, and who will provide it. This is typically handled by the Community Learning Disability team in your council and will transition from children to adult services. Learn more about social care on the Mencap website.

Join the learning disability register

If you or your child has a learning disability, you can join a register at your doctor’s surgery. Doing this helps healthcare professionals make reasonable adjustments to the care they provide to you, including:

• How they tell you about appointments
• How they tell you about test results
• Where you can wait for your appointment
• Where you are seen by the doctor or nurse

Mencap has a guide to the Learning Disability Register. Joining the learning disability register also means you are entitled to an annual health check. See our 2030 Goal of all autistic people being offered a tailored annual health check.

References

[1] NHS data on autism and learning disabilities.

[2] Rydzewska, E. et al. (2018) Prevalence of long-term health conditions in adults with autism: observational study of a whole country population

[3] O'Nions, E. et al. (2023) Autism in England: assessing underdiagnosis in a population-based cohort study of prospectively collected primary care data

[4] Doherty, A. et al. (2020) Barriers and facilitators to primary health care for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism: an integrative review

[5] Kinnear, D. et al. (2019) Relative influence of intellectual disabilities and autism on mental and general health in Scotland: a cross-sectional study of a whole country of 5.3 million children and adults