The Social Adjustment and Self-Concept of Adults with Learning Disabilities

This study examined the social adjustment and self-concept of 81 adults (18 to 26 years of age), 40 of whom received special education services under the “learning disabilities” designation and 41 of whom had regular education programming. Subjects were mailed a set of questionnaires about their current functioning, including the Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. Archival data on IQ and achievement test scores were also obtained. Results indicated no significant differences between groups on the social adjustment measure or any of its subscales, or on the measure of self-concept. A small subset of subjects in the learning disabilities group had clinically low self-concept scores. Achievement and IQ measures, collectively, were good predictors of global social adjustment (R2 = 96%). Overall, the findings suggest that this cohort of subjects with learning disabilities educated under the auspices of P.L. 94-142 fare about as well as their nondisabled peers in terms of social adjustment and self-concept. It appears that any negative effects of a disability classification abate once individuals leave the public school environment, and that previous forecasts of the socioemotional status of adults with learning disabilities may be unnecessarily pessimistic.