Learning Disability Assessment
Use when asked to administer, score, or explain a Learning Disability Assessment — an NHS England Annual Health Check aligned with DSM-5-TR/ICD-11 criteria, producing a severity category and Health Action Plan — grounded in FormExamples/form-examples.
Structured annual health check and adaptive-functioning assessment for people with a learning disability, aligned with the NHS England Annual Health Check and DSM-5-TR / ICD-11 criteria, producing a severity category and a personalized Health Action Plan with reasonable adjustments.
Scoring
Instrument: NHS England Annual Health Check + Adaptive Behaviour Scale (DSM-5-TR aligned).
- Mild (IQ ~50–69, limited adaptive deficits) — independent with support in complex tasks.
- Moderate (IQ ~35–49) — needs significant support with daily living.
- Severe (IQ ~20–34) — needs substantial support; limited communication.
- Profound (IQ < 20) — very limited understanding and communication; intensive support.
What it covers
Demographics; carer and support network; communication needs (easy-read, Makaton, AAC); medical review (epilepsy, mental health, medications); physical examination and observations; adaptive functioning (conceptual, social, practical domains); behavioural concerns and triggers; mental capacity and consent; reasonable adjustments required; and a Health Action Plan.
Common pitfalls
- Determining capacity from the severity category alone — mental capacity is decision-specific and must be assessed for each significant decision individually, not inferred from an overall severity band.
- Skipping communication needs before proceeding with the rest of the assessment — establishing the right communication method (easy- read, Makaton, AAC, an interpreter) first is what makes the rest of the assessment actually valid; skipping it risks an assessment based on misunderstood questions.
- Producing a generic Health Action Plan — the plan is meant to be personalized to the specific reasonable adjustments and support needs identified, not a templated document reused across patients.
Learn more
- FormExamples: learning-disability-assessment for the full implementation, clinical references, and worked examples.
- Autism Assessment, Dyslexia Assessment for related developmental assessments.