Overview of learning disability in children

The child/adolescent is set in a complex framework of relationships and services for the psychiatrist to work with. The medical disorders that accompany learning disability, as well as the disability itself, complicate the psychopathology so that the risk of misdiagnosis increases with the degree of disability. To be effective the psychiatrist has to work well with other disciplines and agencies, being open to their perspectives, as well as being familiar with the subculture and dynamics of disability. The work requires expertise in a variety of neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly autism and epilepsy, as well as in psychopharmacology.