A survey by the Netbuddy website has found that the term that parents, carers and
professionals prefer to describe the people they live and work with is a person with a „learning
disability‟. This term took 36% of the votes, with „special needs‟ coming second with 23%.
Some felt that „special needs‟ referred more to school-age children, with „learning disability‟
more appropriate for adults. However, the survey found considerable debate about which
term to use, with 11% admitting they used various terms interchangeably. The term „learning
difficulties‟ polled 10% with some feeling that „learning difficulties‟ referred to conditions that
affected learning, such as dyslexia, and often referred to a child‟s academic attainment.
Netbuddy
