Filling the Emotional Gap at Transition: Young People with Learning Difficulties and Friendship

Young people with learning disabilities frequently experience mental health support needs, especially at the transition stages as they move into adulthood. The Count Us In inquiry (Carpenter, 2002) suggested that the prevalence rate for mental health needs in young people with learning disabilities may be as high as 40%, four times as high as for young people in general. This paper reports on an action research study in Somerset which was funded by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. The study followed young people and practitioners in adopting a largely social model of mental health distress. It focused on positive emotional support, and worked with young people themselves to find new ways of tackling these issues. Young people in the study said that the support they most valued was that gained through friendships. A small, self‐selecting group of students worked with the project, and they designed and piloted a short course about emotional support for other young people. The findings show that this was effective in helping the young people talk more freely about their feelings, and build their confidence and mutual trust. This article argues that, by developing their own self‐determination, young people with learning disabilities can build their resilience to emotional problems and take more control over their own lives.