The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in changes in all areas of clinical practice, including clinical research and within the intellectual disability population. While there have been some benefits from this rapid adoption of change, those involved in research have had to overcome a number of additional challenges. These adaptive changes, which have…

A growing body of evidence has attested to the higher impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) than on members of the general population during the pandemic, mainly showing their higher vulnerability. However, we believe it is important to better understand how their situation interacts with the specific circumstances…

Conducting qualitative research on young people with intellectual disability and the Internet poses methodological challenges as well as opportunities. Based on memos from a qualitative study, this article focuses on identified gaps related to the challenges of informed consent, access to Internet arenas and using stimulus materials.…

The Kamishibai theatre is a traditional Japanese method of storytelling using illustrated boards successively taken out of a small wooden chest used as a screen. Although the method has a significant educational and therapeutic potential, researchers devote little attention to it, focusing mainly on its connection with developing language…

Research teams must collaborate with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to identify effective and inclusive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies. Collaborating remotely requires telecommunication and other technologies. We designed and evaluated a digital "Toolkit for Remote Inclusive…

People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences than those in the general population. Additionally, the conceptualization of 'trauma' is far broader than traditionally understood in order to encompass the far reaching relational nature of people with intellectual disabilities traumatic experiences.…

In England, the national mortality review programme for people with intellectual disabilities, the LeDeR programme, was established in 2015. The programme supports local areas to review the deaths of all people with intellectual disabilities aged 4 years and over. Each death has an initial review; if indicated, a full multi-agency review takes…

The novel coronavirus may impact exercise habits of those with intellectual disabilities. Due to the mandated discontinuation of face-to-face research, investigators must adapt projects to protect all involved while collecting objective physical activity metrics. This brief report outlines a modification process of research methods to adhere to…

Literature pertaining to open disclosure predominantly refers to acute care settings; this is the case in, for example, the UK, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Korea and the USA. There is, however, a dearth of literature regarding open disclosure related to people with intellectual disabilities. A practice example of open disclosure is presented…

People with intellectual disabilities show significantly lower levels of physical activity than the general population in respect to all consequences for health. A positive effect of physical activity on health preservation has been proven, but interventions for physical activity in everyday life seem to be rare for people with intellectual…

Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder are more prevalent in people with intellectual disabilities (PWID) than in the general population, yet the evidence base for trauma interventions in this population is sparse. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) may be particularly well-suited to PWID for a number of reasons, including its…

The history of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States is, in many ways, a triumphant story reflecting an increasingly progressive attitude acknowledging the equality of all persons. The law now recognizes people with IDD as citizens, possessing an equal right to education, health care, and employment--each of which…

Non-consensual sterilization is one of the characteristic historical abuses that took place mainly in the first half of the 20th century. People with intellectual disability (ID) were a prime target as part of the ideology of negative eugenics. In certain jurisdictions, laws were in force for several decades that permitted sterilization without…

The International Summit on Intellectual Disability and Dementia covered a range of issues related to dementia and intellectual disability, including the dearth of personal reflections of persons with intellectual disability affected by dementia. This article reflects on this deficiency and explores some of the personal perspectives gleaned from…

Pain is a multidimensional and subjective experience, and an ideal pain management regime needs to be comprehensive, integrative and involve all relevant persons. Multimodal interventions may include pharmacological, physical, social, psychological and spiritual approaches in order to address pain management at a molecular, functional,…