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

Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we document the association between a child’s learning disability (LD) and a broad set of outcomes for both the child and the parents. Young people with an LD report more police contact, drug use, violence, and incarceration, and have lower educational attainment, well-being, and employment. We also provide evidence that mothers are substantially more likely to be out of the labour force when they have a child with an LD, with exits concentrated around the time of diagnosis. Child ADHD shows no association with parental labour supply.