This Insight Brief discusses how students with intellectual disability can utilize federal financial aid to help pay for college. This publication is updated annually to reflect current legislation and policy related to federal financial aid for students with intellectual disabilities. The information provided is current as of January 2023.

College students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) are afforded many educational opportunities through Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs, including employment training. Competitive employment can contribute a rich independent life, thus more employment training opportunities can be beneficial. Low employment rates for adults…

Background: Little is known about the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in people with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF). Aims: To explore the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of EMDR therapy in adults with…

In a school district in the southwestern United States, the problem that this study explored was that too many students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are placed into separate classrooms at the middle school level rather than being mainstreamed into general education classrooms. The purpose of this basic qualitative project study was to…

This study examines the development of a 1950s educational programme for the inclusion of children with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) -- those with IQ scores of less than 50, referred to as "trainable" or "dependent" children -- into community life. Conducted by the American Association of Parents of…

Special education teachers play an integral role in preparing students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for a successful transition to their desired postsecondary pathways. As more opportunities arise for students with IDD to attend inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs, there is a growing need for special…

The objective of this study is to investigate the experiences of teachers of students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) with remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to suggest solutions to address challenges. The study used an electronic questionnaire to collect field data from 150 teachers of students with IDs located in various…

College-based transition programs offer students with intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) the opportunity to navigate adult learning experiences with similar-aged peers, accessing college coursework and employment experiences while continuing to receive support from or coordinated by their local school system. The present study used data…

Children with autism spectrum disorder have unique needs during medical procedures involving anesthesia. However, with early patient identification, provider champions can adapt their practice to better serve this population, thereby improving patient satisfaction and outcomes. This article describes a novel protocol developed by an anesthesia…

Background: The prevalence of being overweight and obese is increasing not just in the general population but also in individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Therefore, a need to identify factors contributing to overweight/obesity arises as this population is escalating. Materials and Methods: This narrative review article summarizes…

We examined special education classifications among students aged 3-21 in North Carolina public schools, highlighting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). Results revealed variability by county in ASD and ID prevalence, and in county-level ratios of ID vs. ASD classifications. Sociodemographic characteristics predicted…

Goal setting and attainment is often a targeted outcome in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field; however, standardizing the measurement of attainment of individualized goals is challenging. The purpose of this article is to introduce a four-domain framework that provides a series of questions to research and evaluation teams in…

Intellectually disabled children experience unique vulnerabilities related to poverty. The literature further identifies strong concerns for service delivery and practice with intellectually disabled children in the context of austerity measures arising from economic recession. Statistical data in Ireland are well developed on the equality impacts…

Background: Women with an intellectual disability (ID) have a similar risk of developing breast cancer as women in the general population yet present with later stage breast cancers, which have poorer outcomes. Aim: To identify whether there is a need to develop a breast cancer awareness intervention for women with an ID. Methods: Interventions…

Background: Opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to become bi/multilingual tend not to be widely available despite demonstrated linguistic and extralinguistic advantages associated with an ability to use more than one language. This article focuses on the learning experiences of students with intellectual disabilities in…