A letter to our health ministers on behalf of kids with LDs

I heard on the radio this morning that our provincial and federal Ministers of Health are in Halifax, so I thought it would be an excellent time to make the pitch for investing health spending into supporting youth with learning disabilities. Enjoy my letter! 

Rhonda

Dear Ministers of Health,

Welcome to Nova Scotia!  We hope you get to enjoy our fine scenery, seafood and hospitality while you're in our province.  Since you're here, I wanted to take the opportunity to write to you on behalf of some terrific kids I know.  They're dancers, writers, singers and actors.  They have families, pets, favourite TV shows and hobbies.  Some love to play sports, and others don't.  A pretty diverse group, but they all have one thing in common - learning disabilities.

Now, I know you're wondering why I'm writing to you.  After all, you're responsible for health, not education, so you probably think learning disabilities really aren't your department.  I don't believe that's true, and I'm going to share the many reasons why.

Your first (and best) reference would be the applied research study done in 2004, known as PACFOLD (Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities), which was commissioned by the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.  The study looked at what it means to be a child, youth or adult with learning disabilities in Canada.  They came up with some pretty eye-opening findings:

As a child (as reported by parents/guardians)
• More prone to ear infections and allergies.
• Poorer overall health status.
• Less likely to do well in school.
• Less likely to do well in math and/or reading.
• More likely to miss school.
• One-third requires aids, but lack access to them.
• Two-thirds report child’s extracurricular activities were reduced because of LD.

Impact on the Family
• More likely to be caring for the LD child as a single parent.
• More likely that parent has depressive symptoms.
• More likely to be part of a low-income family.

As a young adult aged 15 to 21 years living with LD (compared to non-disabled peers)
• More likely to not have a secondary school diploma or certificate.
• Less likely to be working (even part-time) or looking for work.
• More likely to be part of a low-income family.
• More likely to report their mental health status as fair to poor.
• Less likely to handle unexpected problems appropriately.
• More likely to report suicidal thoughts, depression and distress.

As a young adult aged 22 to 29 years living with LD (compared to non-disabled peers)
• Less likely to have a secondary school diploma or certificate.
• Less likely to be working.
• Those who are working, earn less.
• More likely to report their mental health status as fair to poor.
• Less likely to handle unexpected problems appropriately.
• More likely to report suicidal thoughts, depression and distress

As an adult aged 30 to 44 years living with LD (compared to non-disabled peers)
• More likely to still be living with a parent.
• More likely to be unemployed or just not seeking employment.
• Those who are employed earn less.
• More likely to score lower on literacy tests.
• Few rated their reading and writing skills as excellent or good.
• More likely to report their mental health status as fair or poor.
• Less likely to handle unexpected problems appropriately.
• More likely to report suicidal thoughts, depression and distress.

As you can see, individuals of all ages with learning disabilities are likely living with mental health issues (anxiety and depression being most common).  As adults, they struggle to keep work, earn less if they do work, have lower literacy rates and may still be dependant on other adults, which likely means their health status is not as others in the community. 

What should you do about it?  I'm glad you asked.  You have to start by working together with your colleagues in Education, Health and Health Promotion and Prevention in every province and municipality across the country.  Develop strategies to support the whole child - identify learning difficulties early, put appropriate academic interventions in place, and look after social and mental health needs.  I know it seems impossible to bridge the competing agendas, jurisdictions and other barriers, but if you start from a perspective of putting children first, the challenge starts to look a whole lot simpler.

If you need some inspiration, I'd love to invite you to visit our school - Bridgeway - at any time.  I'll introduce you to kids who were suffering from anxiety and depression at the ages of 8-9 years old because they had learning disabilities and couldn't learn the way their peers did.  Many also had poor social skills, and struggled to meet friends.  But when they had the opportunity to learn in an environment where their LDs were understood, they started to blossom academically.  Teaching social skills also helped them make friends, as well as make good choices in all kinds of situations they didn't have the skills to handle before.  With those supports in place, and having the opportunity to meet kids who struggle with the same thing they do, the anxiety, depression and low self-esteem is easing.  Parents are amazed at the changes they see.  Former students are going on to college and university, find employment, and are less likely to be a burden on the health care system in the future.   

If you want more information, either while you're here or back home, please give me a call - 902-465-4800.  I know our staff and others we know in the community who care about kids with LDs would be happy to help find a way to help you help our kids succeed.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Brown
Director of Communications
Bridgeway Academy