A Comparison of Learning Disabled Adults and High School Students

Abstract

Learning disabled (LD) adults eligible for vocational rehabilitation services were compared with LD high school seniors. A significantly greater percentage of whites was found in the adult than the high school group. This finding was attributed to three possible factors: greater knowledge of and accessibility to community services by whites; the large number of black unemployed young adults; and the relabeling as LD of students who were formerly called mentally retarded and behaviorally disturbed. Comparison of the high school and adult groups on problems in health, learning, daily living skills, social skills, personal adjustment, and vocational adjustment indicated that the adults more often reported problems in almost all areas. Perceptions of the problems of the LD groups by LD teachers corresponded more to those of the adult sample than to the high school sample. Lack of self-perception and understanding of the reality of their situation by the high schoolers was proposed as a reason for this difference between the LD high school and adult samples.