Learning disabilities, child outcomes, and parental labour supply: evidence from the PSID*

The study uses the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to look at how a child's learning disability relates to outcomes for the child and for the parents. Young people with a learning disability report more police contact, drug use, violence and incarceration. They also have lower educational attainment, well-being and employment. Mothers of children with a learning disability are much more likely to be out of the labour force, mostly around the time of diagnosis. Child ADHD shows no such link with parental labour supply.

Key points

• Young people with a learning disability report more police contact, drug use, violence and incarceration.
• They have lower educational attainment, well-being and employment.
• Mothers are substantially more likely to be out of the labour force when they have a child with a learning disability.
• Mothers' exits from the labour force are concentrated around the time of diagnosis.
• Child ADHD shows no association with parental labour supply.

Limitations

The authors describe their results as associations, so the document does not show that a learning disability causes these outcomes. Only the abstract is available, and the data are from the PSID, which covers the United States. The country hint listing Spain is not supported by the text.