Sensory impairment and intellectual disability

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			Sensory impairment and intellectual disability
			
					Introduction
				
					Section 1: Epidemiology
				
					Section 2: Factors influencing the prevalence of sensory impairment
				
					Section 3: The impact of sensory impairment on psychological development, and its association with autistic spectrum dis
				
					Section 4: Assessment and management
				
					Summary
				
					Annual revisions

Sensory impairment and intellectual disability

By Dr Reza Kiani and Dr Helen Miller

Adults with intellectual disability have a higher prevalence of sensory impairment than the general population.

The high prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder within this population and deficits in communication skills make the assessment of sensory impairment a challenge. In practice, this usually results in a diagnostic overshadowing, as any change in behaviour may be attributed to intellectual disability, mental illness or autism rather than sensory impairment.

In this module, we consider the topic in detail with a view towards raising the awareness of healthcare professionals for the early detection and effective management of sensory impairment in adults with intellectual disability.

Start the module (Updated November 2009)

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Assessment of mental health problems in children and adolescents with learning disability (LD) by Dr Muthukumar Kannabiran and Dr Sarah Bernard

Epilepsy in intellectual disability by Professor Shoumitro Deb and Dr Radha Srikanth

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