Educating on Health Care in People with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

People with intellectual disability form a significant proportion of communities across the globe and have greater health care needs than the general population. Their needs can be ignored by clinicians because of difficulties in interpreting signs of behavior and distress in people who might struggle with communication difficulties or multimorbidity. Education and training in the health care needs of people with intellectual disability and the presentation of mental and physical disorders is essential to ensure the provision of good-quality care. The delivery of effective training is feasible and applicable to the generalist practitioner as much as to the specialist working in intellectual disability. The key components of training are knowledge, skills, and attitudes that can be taught and assessed. Educational institutions and regulators play important roles in ensuring that professional clinicians achieve the desired competencies laid out in curricula. International bodies can contribute to education through raising awareness on the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and help to facilitate and disseminate learning even in countries where teaching resources are limited.