'Learning difficulties' is a fairly broad term, isn't it? She seemed shy but fairly articulate to me on the few occasions I've seen her talking, and seems to cover up her shyness with humour (as a lot of shy people do).

I know shy people who have been judged as unintelligent simply because they don't talk a lot and when they do, they just come out with small talk. Then when you get really talking to them you find that they're actually very bright. It could be Susan's in that category, and she may have come to believe it herself, because of low self esteem.

The main thing that makes me doubt her 'learning difficulties' are significant is the way she sang her songs so 'intelligently', interpreting them with a great deal of passion in the right parts. As a singer myself, I know that''s something that IS difficult to learn.

If her own brother didn't know about her learning difficulties I wonder if the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.

How close is Gerry to Susan? I say this because I read somewhere that Susan is the youngest out of about 11 siblings. What number is Gerry? My point is, maybe he never knew she had LDs because he wasn't that close to her or even knew her that well. It is not unheard for siblings from the same large family to be complete strangers to one another.

Just speculating.

So many bits of a childs personality are classed as learning difficulties these days that back then were just kids that found it had to mix.
Its only know that all these different things have been given names that some much older people and fairly intelligent some of them as well are suddenly finding that they would have been classed as ld these days.
I've a friend who used to be a solicitor who is now thought to have autistic spectrum disorder.

The learning lifficulties bit isn't the bit i find any problem with its how they always introduce her a spinster and a virgin. They haven't given the marital status of anyone else. Probably just as well they didn't ask the kids if they were still virgins the answers might not have been printable.

As others have said, I would be very surprised to hear someone of her age use the term "learning difficulties". I have an aunt around the same age who had brain damage at birth and our family have never said she has "learning difficulties". My aunt refers to herself as mentally handicapped or disabled.

I hate the term "learning difficulties", it implies conditions such as dyslexia which can be overcome (at least to the point it doesn't affect every day life). It's not difficult for someone with brain damage to learn certain things, it's physically impossible.

That's the problem. "Learning difficulties" is an umbrella term, but it's an acceptable term, so people use it for fear of saying something wrong.

I think the truth is that Susan is "a bit slow". Which means she's slower to process information, which means she's more likely to find it difficult to come to terms with everything going on around about her. It means she's more likely to get the wrong end of the stick and get worked up about things.

It doesn't mean she is incapable of doing anything in showbiz. She just needs some time to adjust and for those working with her to keep her away from the whirlwind.

I'm not quite sure what to make of her brother's comments. I think it's likely she does just need a decent break and some normality, but I don't understand why her brother or someone else from home didn't come down to London for the BGT finals. He's probably so used to defending her little quirks to others to avoid teasing that he will think that playing things down is the right thing to do.

"Learning difficulties" or "learning disability" is a technical term. It covers a very wide range of conditions.
See the Mencap website:

And "About learning disability":
http://www.mencap.org.uk/landing.asp?id=1683

Surely that depends on the nature and degree of the brain damage: which part of the brain is damaged and how much.

One of the many news reports said that she had been in an argument with her sister in a hotel in London at some point in the last few weeks.

It is one thing to comfort someone whose reaction to pressure is to break down in tears, etc. It is very different when a person responds to pressure by becoming bad tempered and argumentative. Trying to calm down, and keep calm, someone like that can be very, very, hard work. As the saying goes "it would try the patience of a saint".

Her family have no doubt seen it all before and possibly know that there is not much they can do to help. They have their own lives to lead, jobs, families, whatever. They can't be expected to abandon those to babysit their independent adult sister for what might turn out to be months or years.

Susan got into BGT because her mother urged her to. If she is continuing with the BGT "experience" because she believes her late mother wants her to then it might be extremely difficult for anyone, family member or not, to dissuade her. Unless her situation becomes hopeless it might even by cruel to dissuade her.

Some FMs have suggested that it would be best for Susan to go back home and to continue living the life she had before among friends and loved ones. I'm sure those suggestions are well-intentioned, but to me they come across as very patronising. Susan entered BGT to get more in her life than she already had. She wants to sing to appreciative audiences, not just be limited to karoake sessions. She now has a chance to do that. During BGT she has suffered on the way to where she is today. Let's not make all that suffering and struggling pointless.

She now has some recognition as a singer and has an opportunity to perform for the public. It might not be easy, but let's not discard her or brush her off by telling her to just go home.

Anyone with half a brain saw from the very first show that Susan was not quite firing on all cylinders, that there was something not quite right.

I think as much as her talent should be recognised and she be given the same chance as any regualr Joe out ther to make her mark financailly, we ALL, EVERYONE ONE OF US, are to blame for her meltdown. it would freack anyone of sane, sound, sturdy stuff, never mind a lady who has been private, suffered brain damage during birth.

we should all be as much ashamed of ourselves. we put her there. we are to blame we are the voyeurs, the saddos, the sickos for watching, knowing waiting then ´jeering´and having fun at her meltdwon. At least let her make some money then go back to what she is comfortable with. shame on us all.

I think that's a very insightful post, and I've just said something similar on one of the other threads. Susan is not a sophisticated person, she knows everyone in her village and hasn't developed the coping strategies to deal with strangers. I think it's also quite common, if you're aware that people might make fun of you, to dive in first and make jokes about yourself, but it's a high-risk strategy - unless you're actually quite self-confident in the first place, it can backfire.

I agree with much of your post except the first sentence. I don't think it was obvious at all that she wasn't firing on all cylinders. I thought she was quite simply an eccentric woman who didn't care that much about makeovers, hairdo's etc, and was able to take the mickey out of herself. I didn't look into her mental health much further than that as that was my first impression of her.

However, like I said, I agree with the rest of your post and think you're spot on how this industry and society seem to work.

Oh and welcome to the forum by the way.

Thank you very much susie-4964......I've just realised the time and have to dash back to work, but I appreciate your comments.

Kudos for the welcome but ama mere bystander, the other half. the trouble n stife got me to register. slow times here. ex pat here. pub - bar owner and ýou want the underdog to win. I do. but not at the cost of this poor lady suffering. Give her her dues, her righs, but then let it rest. she isnt in the right place if that´s sensical.

I still think that.

Any completely sane person can crack up if their life changes so suddenly and dramatically.

To be fair that conclusion could have been made about at least 50% of the other folk we saw in the auditions.

There have been some very vague terms being used when trying to describe Susan's mental health/capacity.

"mentally fragile" - is another one that has been frequently used. Whats that supposed to mean (and I study psychology). I would class people with depression, bipolar etc as "mentally fragile" - e.g. someone like Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys... now he certainly has no learning difficulties.

However, show like the Wright stuff say "it's was clearly obvious from the start that Susan is mentally fragile"!!! How can it be perfectly obvious, unless they are refering to a being a "bit slow". Which is very different to Mentally fragile.

Personally I am sure the team at BGT and representatives of Susan would have prevented or at least sued Carol Malone for the article she put up a couple of days ago... giving more details of the problems Susan faced - if they were not true.

I'm dreading if Carole Malone decides she wants to be her friend. She's not the kind of friend I would like.

Susans first audition, she just came across as a bit eccentric to me. She told every one that she was a bit slow, she didn't say it held her back in life, she didn't say it stops her doing things. We have no idea why she never held down a job, but if you're caring for someone, you don't always have chance to have a job. In the past with kids being a pain and plaguing her at her house, I've had that happen to me, and being polite doesn't usually work, in the end you have to go out and shout your head off at them. Doesn't matter if you have something wrong with you or not, but getting the adult to come out and have a go seems to be part of the fun for them sometimes.

I do wonder how much all of this has been exagerated by the press, as they've latched on to something like a dog worrying a bone and they're not going to let it lie until they've caused a right rumpus all at Susan's expense.

I'm a bit like noorani, confused. Having come late to the show I have accepted the received opinion on the forum that she had 'learning difficulties'...had I realized that this assumption was based solely upon one statement re: '[being] a bit slow' I wouldn't have been so quick to that assumption.

Lorraine from The Apprentice has said publicly to Alan Sugar that '[she] is a bit slow' and this has not been taken to mean that she has any form of 'learning difficulty' or impaired capacities - it has simply been taken to mean that her though process isn't quick...she takes a while to fully comprehend and act.

I thought, seeing Susan, before coming reading DS that she was merely social sheltered and a tad socially inept.

Now that her brother has stated that she does not have any learning difficulties I'm inclined to return to my initial assessment of her.

We all have our mental capacity boundaries - psychologists often refer to it as the mental-bucket and stress is the water...with too much stress pouring into the bucket it may - and it can happen to anyone - overflow. That seems to be what has happened to SB. It can, in certain very stressful circumstance, overflow very quickly with few indication as to the build up. Part of the treatment she may receive could include stress-indicator therapy...part of which is learning how to punch holes in the bucket to steadily release so that it doesn't overflow.

when it is alleged that she has "learning difficulties" due to "being starved of oxygen during birth" ... that seems to imply, in other words, that she has some degree of cerebral palsy.

that could be relevant, as cerebral palsy is linked with a higher incidence of psychiatric and emotional disorders, and negativistic behaviour that can manifest as aggression in some cases. (I am quoting this from a psychiatry textbook).

If I got interviewed on telly, I think I might probably be very like Susan, and not be able to talk easily or seem ok, because it would be right out of my comfort zone.

Years ago kids who were not very bright and who struggled at school were labelled "slow learners". There were schools for "retarded" and "maladjusted" children and they were described as "educationally sub-normal. "

The term mentally-handicapped disappeared and terms like "special needs" and "learning difficulties" were used.

So her own brother is out to make money out of her then, no surprise no wonder he is denying any learning disability and saying she did well at school, hardly what slow normally means then.. those who get no exam passes which he said on national TV she had. Is this the brother saying she is looking forward to the White House, and that she just needed a "rest"... please come on, the doctor from the Priory has said it is not a rest home or a spa, it is a mental institution, and that Susan could be in there weeks not days, hardly what Piers and her brother are saying.

So let her out too soon what could happen, a complete meltdown... is that what this DEAR brother wants, no he is just after the money, so he is not better than Cowell in my opinion.

So from me no good luck to him, he has not even been and visited his own sister which speaks volumes and dont say he is from Scotland, it is not Mars you know.

A bit slow, well the show should have looked at that harder should they not, as a bit slow is not good once the press get their teeth in, mind you her antics on stage final night did her no favours at all, SHY, what and nearly shows her knickers ... come on.. this woman is either clever or should simply not have been there.

God watch out the White House she may get her boobs out.

She has difficulty leaning? She should stand up straight then.

My nephew is diagnosed as having learning difficulties because he has dyslexia......but he not only has 'every day run of the mill' dyslexia, he's also socially dyslexic ......which means it will affect his every day life because he just'doesn't get it' like me and you.........emotionally, its very disabilitating...........

I, on the other hand, just have leaning difficulties......especially after a bottle of wine................

Bet you often regret posting when 'P'isa-ed'