---
name: learning-disability-assessment
description: 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.
---

# Learning Disability Assessment

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](https://github.com/FormExamples/form-examples/tree/main/forms/learning-disability-assessment) for the full implementation, clinical references, and worked examples.
- [[autism-assessment]], [[dyslexia-assessment]] for related developmental assessments.