Development and Evaluation of the Individuals With Learning Disabilities and/or Difficulties Perceived Discrimination Scale

Abstract

The present two studies describe the development and psychometric evaluation of the Learning Disability/Difficulty Perceived Discrimination Scale used to assess the self-reported discrimination experiences of people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. In Study 1 (N = 202) an exploratory factor analysis yielded two factors, Inferior and Cheating the System. In Study 2 (N = 216) a confirmatory factor analysis supported the stability of this two-factor correlated model and a bifactor model. Across studies, subscale and full-scale items offered evidence of good reliability, convergent validity, and concurrent validity. Preliminary support for a minority stress framework is explored. Limitations, research, and clinical work with learning difficulties and/or disabilities populations are discussed.

The intersection of transgender and gender-diverse identity and neurodiversity among college students: An exploration of minority stress.

“…LPA revealed four distinct profiles based on participants' experiences of oppression across axes of gender and neurodiversity. While the results parallel and reconfirm prior research exploring minority stress among individuals who are TGD (Testa et al, 2015) or ND (Geiger & Brewster, 2018), they also offer a more dynamic understanding of how multiple forms of oppression (i.e., cisgenderism and ableism) converge to shape experience within the larger population of TGD college students who are neurodiverse. For example, the profile patterns suggest that differences occur within the sample in overall levels of stress (i.e., low stress [Profile 1]; high stress [Profile 3]), as well as in the types of stress that some individuals have greater exposure to, such as individuals whose experiences were marked by greater levels of genderrelated rejection compared to other forms of stress (high genderrelated rejection [Profile 2]), and those who reported particularly higher levels of stigma consciousness compared to other forms of stress (high stigma consciousness [Profile 4]).…”

“…A sample item on the modified version is “People have talked down to me because I have a learning disability and/or neurodevelopmental disorder.” Items are rated on a 6-point scale, from 1 = this has never happened to me to 6 = this has happened to me almost all of the time (more than 70% of the time) . The scale demonstrated convergent and concurrent validity via observed associations with awareness of stigmatization and collective self-esteem in a sample of adults with learning disabilities or ADHD (Geiger & Brewster, 2018). The original LDDPDS scale showed good internal reliability, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha of.92 in a sample of adults with learning disabilities (Geiger & Brewster, 2018).…”

“…The scale demonstrated convergent and concurrent validity via observed associations with awareness of stigmatization and collective self-esteem in a sample of adults with learning disabilities or ADHD (Geiger & Brewster, 2018). The original LDDPDS scale showed good internal reliability, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha of.92 in a sample of adults with learning disabilities (Geiger & Brewster, 2018). In the present study, Cronbach’s alpha was .94.…”

“…Although MST was first conceptualized and its tenets empirically tested among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations, it has since been adapted and applied to understanding mental health disparities among other minoritized populations, including people of color (POC; Alamilla et al, 2010; Wei et al, 2011), TGD individuals (Tebbe & Moradi, 2016; Testa et al, 2015), and economically disenfranchised (Gamarel et al, 2012) communities. MST has also been employed to examine oppression among ND populations, with research finding that minority stress among individuals with learning disabilities and autism is associated with psychological distress (Botha & Frost, 2020) and anxiety symptomology (Geiger & Brewster, 2018).…”

“…The Learning Disability/Difficulty Perceived Discrimination Scale (LDDPDS) is a 17-item scale that assesses experiences of discrimination (Geiger & Brewster, 2018). For the purposes of this study, the LDDPDS, renamed ND discrimination (NDD), was adapted to be more broadly inclusive of individuals who are neurodiverse.…”