Young Adults Growing Up with Learning Disabilities and Planning For Their Future
Emotional Development | Social Development
Transitioning into young adulthood is yet another crucial step in our development as human beings. Just as with the other developmental stages, this transition proves more difficult for someone battling a learning disability. It is not uncommon for learning disabled young adults to expect less of their future, to live with their parents longer, and to be unemployed more often. In fact when they are employed, they are more likely to work at low paying jobs that underutilize their skills. Those that break this trend and succeed in demanding jobs share some common traits. They typically are self-aware, possess a strong work ethic, maintain a positive personality, belong to an effective support network and enjoyed a positive experience in school. Self-awareness takes the form of young adults recognizing their strengths and understanding their weaknesses. Self-aware adults use this insight to create solutions to their problems and seek help where they need it most.
They also understand and accept that they have to work harder than the average person to achieve their goals. The appreciation and willingness to do the hard work proportionally increases their chances for a successful future. On top of this work ethic and self-awareness, successful learning disabled adults almost always have a positive personality. In spite of severe disabilities, adults with strong self-confidence and a can do attitude exhibit superior performance.
A strong social support system is another commonality that successful adults who struggle with learning disabilities share. Having enjoyed a positive experience in high school contributes greatly to the learning disabled adult feeling hopeful about his or her future. But even if an individual did not feel positive about their high school experience, they can still build a bright future if they are positive and willing to work hard.
Many adults who struggle with learning disabilities find it hard to succeed not only in their working world but also in the purview of personal relationships. Their feelings of inferiority and intense fears of rejection cause them to isolate and withdraw from relationships. A slightly different version of the same problem occurs when they start one relationship after another only to defeat it with their immaturity and emotional instability. Such patterns only reinforce insecure feelings about whether or not they are worthy of love which only perpetuates the cycle. Social skills, courtship skills, and employment skills can be learned. Any learning disabled adult who is willing to look at themselves honestly and put in the necessary hard work to grow can overcome these obstacles and make a fulfilling adjustment to adult life.