Learning Disabled?

[Mira]

OK here's the deal.
Know a kid who has the requirements of a Learning Disability diagnosis. Seams that he has also had a sever head trauma (falling off the third floor!) in his pre-literacy years.

Would LEarning disability be possible as a diagnosis? or does the existence of a history of head trauma entail another diagnosis?

HELP

[Non Servium]

Uhh ... yes, people who fall on their heads cannot have learning disabilities. And yes I'm being sarcastic.

Is it not obvious that a person can have a learning disability and still have fallen at some point? No, falling does not knock any previous disability out of one's head, which seems like what you're wondering.

[amyshol]

Hiya, Mira.
I'm new to the group, so wanted to introduce myself quick. I'm Amy and I have bipolar and a history of an eating disorder (7 years symptom free!)

So, anyway. About your post: OK here's the deal.
Know a kid who has the requirements of a Learning Disability diagnosis. Seams that he has also had a sever head trauma (falling off the third floor!) in his pre-literacy years.

Would LEarning disability be possible as a diagnosis? or does the existence of a history of head trauma entail another diagnosis?

HELP

The answers are "Yes" and "Yes."

I am a speech therapist working in an outpatient clinic and I see kids like this all the time. Most children on my caseload have two or three different types of diagnoses (depending on whether or not they qualify for school services). If I came across the boy you mentioned, most likely his medical diagnosis would be Traumatic Brain Injury and his educational diagnosis would be learning disabled. I then would add a third diagnosis (poor kid) and that one would be his treatment diagnosis. Most likely it would be some type of language disorder. The reason for all these diagnoses mostly deals with insurance companies and educational law. If I were to diagnose him as learning disabled, for example, his insurance company would not pay for the services since they would argue it's educationally-based and not medically necessary. Since he's a child and it's hard to know if he would have had difficulties had he not fallen, I wouldn't speculate as to whether the language disorder was aquired or developmental. Kinda goofy, I know. Hope this makes sense and that I answered your question.

[Mira]

Hmm it DOES make sense and thank you for the reply Amy.