According to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are “differences that are usually present at birth and that uniquely affect the trajectory of the individual’s physical, intellectual, and/or emotional development.” Many IDDs affect multiple body parts or systems, such as the nervous and sensory systems. Intellectual disabilities may begin any time before a child turns 18 years old and may be characterized by differences in intellectual functioning, which includes the ability to learn, reason, and other skills, and adaptive behavior, which includes everyday life and social skills. The term “developmental disabilities” is a broader category of lifelong challenges that may be intellectual, physical, or both. IDDs may include Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome.
Children and adults with IDDs have unique abilities and may live well into their 80s or 90s independently in the communities of their choice, just like their peers without disabilities. However, people with IDDs may require supports to live independently, participate in their communities, and take advantage of the same opportunities as their peers. These supports may include supported housing, social skills training, supported competitive employment, financial resources, family supports, accommodations, and/or accessible public transportation. Social inclusion not only benefits people with IDD to live their best lives and be a part of the communities of their choice, but also benefits the community at large by helping everyone with or without IDDs to connect, work together, and play together.
NARIC’s information specialists are often asked for information and resources about supports, accommodations, and social inclusion for and by people with IDD, their families, and service providers. This month, we are highlighting evidence-based consumer products from the NIDILRR community for this community, which may include guides, calendars, factsheets, and more.
Below, you will find just a few examples of evidence-based consumer products produced by the NIDILRR community:
- The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employment of People with intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (VCU-RRTC-IDD) provides needed information in employer practices that are associated with better employment outcomes for people with IDD. This RRTC conducts a series of research studies to examine the critical variables that can improve competitive integrated employment outcomes for people with IDD. The Center established a National Resource Center for people with IDD, their families, and service providers, which conducts a variety of dissemination and knowledge translation activities. These activities include training through webcasts and videos on COVID-19 related topics. The RRTC also provides research-based resources, such as factsheets, postcards, plain-language summaries, and more.
- There are racial and ethnic disparities within the Latinx community with children and adolescents experiencing higher rates of obesity than their white peers. These disparities are likely heightened among children and adolescents with IDD. The project Promoting Obesity Prevention Among Latinx Children with Developmental Disabilities and Families Through Engaged Research addresses the research gap on children and adolescents with IDD and obesity and is developing and testing an intervention for Latinx children and adolescents with IDD and their families to promote healthy lifestyles. This project provides webinars in English and Spanish, briefs and infographics, and resources in English and Spanish for families of Latinx children and adolescents with IDD living in Texas.
- NARIC’s Research In Focus series highlights interesting results from NIDILRR-funded research and uses consumer-friendly language to share those results. Below is just one example of the articles in this series focused on people with IDD:
- The article, Competitive Integrated Employment Programs May Offset Pandemic Impact on Some Workers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, discusses a study conducted by researchers at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on the Employment of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities that looked at the employment records of people with IDD who were receiving either job site training or long-term support services through the Business Connections employment services program. The researchers found that while most workers with IDD lost some work hours, those in entertainment, retail, and food service were more severely impacted. However, the researchers also found that the participants who were able to continue working on site during that time appeared to have little change to their hourly wage or number of hours worked. This article is also available in Spanish.
To learn more about these and other products from the NIDILRR community, contact NARIC’s information specialists.
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 