AQW 44477/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 21/04/2026
Answered On Date: 13/05/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any assessment his Department has made on the impact that the classification of a young person as having a learning disability or learning difficulty has on their access to post-19 services.

Answer:

In Northern Ireland a confirmed diagnosis of a learning disability is required to access Adult Learning Disability Services. A diagnosis of learning disability is based on following criteria [all must apply]:

Significant impairment in intellectual functioning,

Significant impairment in adaptive functioning, and

Onset during the developmental period (i.e. first 18 years of life).

Young adults, predominantly autistic young adults, who present with complex needs but do not meet the diagnostic threshold for Learning Disability services are a relatively small cohort regionally, but these individuals can present with levels of vulnerability and functional need comparable to those with a learning disability, creating challenges in accessing appropriate ongoing support in adulthood.

Diagnosing intellectual disabilities often involves clinical judgment alongside standardised psychometric assessments, including IQ tests.

An individual’s IQ level is not a barrier to services but rather a measurement used to direct an individual towards services best placed to meet their assessed needs, whether Learning Disability services or elsewhere, and IQ psychometric assessments are used to support decision making. An individual may have a broad range of needs, and Health and Social Care Trusts provide Adult Social Care services based on assessed need and within available resources to best meet an individual’s presenting needs across Programmes of Care, such as Physical and Sensory Disability and Mental Health Services.

Post 19 support is also provided by other Government Departments, and my Department remains committed to working with other Departments in respect of post 19 services.