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Autism in Adulthood : Deputy Editor

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Brief Report: Under-Identification of Symptomatic Menopause in Publicly-Insured Autistic People

Advancing Health Policy and Outcomes for People With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Community Mental Health Use Among Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults

Prevalence of intellectual disability among adults born in the 1980s and 1990s in the United States

Human immunodeficiency virus diagnosis and care among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are publicly insured

Racial and ethnic disparities in benefits eligibility and spending among adults on the autism spectrum: A cohort study using the Medicare Medicaid Linked Enrollees Analytic Data Source

Interventions to address health outcomes among autistic adults: A systematic review

Listening to the autistic voice: Mental health priorities to guide research and practice in autism from a stakeholder-driven project

Augusta University is Georgia's health sciences university and a national center for cyber security education. Home to the state’s only public academic medical center, Augusta’s world-class clinicians are bringing the medicine of tomorrow to patient care today. The university is comprised of nine colleges, including one of the nation's oldest medical schools, the Medical College of Georgia; the Hull College of Business; and the state's only dental school, the Dental College of Georgia.

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Teal Benevides, PhD, MS, OTR/L has a passion for describing, understanding, and addressing disparities among individuals on the autism spectrum, including racial and ethnic minorities, and autistic adults.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Autism Services

Autism Research and Treatment

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Unveiling the Hidden Challenges: The Quest for Independence Among U.S. Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Researchers from Augusta University are using Census data to find out how many adults in the U.S. are currently living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

School learning transitions could heavily impact special needs students

New research addresses the needs of adults with autism

Access to Medicaid waivers varies with race, age, region – Spectrum

“What alarms me is we don’t have sufficient services and supports for adults. We just don’t have them. When people ask for services, support and resources, there’s no place to point them to unless they are children.”

since-adults-with-intellectual-disabilities-are-living-longer-how-much-of-a-concern-is-it-they-will-not-get-the-help-they-need

Since adults with intellectual disabilities are living longer, how much of a concern is it they will not get the help they need?


“Many adults with ID are going to require services and support. They’re likely going to require housing support, employment support and many of them are food insecure. I think policymakers at both the state and federal level need to know about this because, regardless of whether or not our policymakers support Medicaid expansion, many people with ID are also going to need adequate health care coverage because the vast majority of people with intellectual disability are not employed.”

why-is-it-important-to-know-the-number-of-adults-living-with-intellectual-disability

Why is it important to know the number of adults living with intellectual disability? 


estimating-adults-living-with-intellectual-disabilities-in-america-our-experts-look-at-the-numbers

Professor & Director of Faculty Development, School of Public Health

Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management, Economics, and Policy

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Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Health Disparity

A new study conducted by faculty researchers at the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University shows the prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in adults.
 

 But looking at childhood survey data of those with ID, conclusions can be drawn on how many adults have intellectual disability. 

The study was conducted by Teal Benevides, PhD, assistant professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University, Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in IPPH and the Department of Health Management, Economics and Policy, Jennifer Jaremski, research associate in IPPH, and Michael McKee, PhD, associate professor at the University of Michigan.  

The study estimates the number of adults living with ID is .95% or 9.5 per 1,000 adults between the ages of 21 and 41.  

“Intellectual disability is diagnosed in childhood,” said Benevides. “It needs to be diagnosed early. It’s not something that just happens in adulthood. So relying on the estimate that’s from childhood surveys is a good start. It’s just aging estimates up based off the current population of the U.S. So I do feel pretty confident that we can base future projections off in the absence of better epidemiological evaluations of prevalence.”  She added it’s important to realize a lot of people with ID are now out of high school and age out of educational services to support them at the age of 21. They may fall through the cracks during the transition to adulthood and may not be receiving the services they need.

“Many adults with ID are going to require services and support. They’re likely going to require housing support, employment support and many of them are food insecure,” Benevides said. “I think policymakers at both the state and federal level need to know about this because regardless of whether or not our policymakers support Medicaid expansion, many people with ID are also going to need adequate healthcare coverage because the vast majority of people with intellectual disability are not employed.”   Not just that, many of those with ID are more likely to experience disparities in housing, employment, education, poverty and more. 

Biplab Datta and Teal Benevides  In Georgia, Benevides said there is a waitlist of 7,000 people looking for Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and there’s just not enough resources available to assist those with ID.

Another concern is that people with ID have the same life span and those who may prove care, such as parents or guardians, don’t know what will happen to their older children with ID when they aren’t around or are unable to assist them.

“What alarms me is we don’t have sufficient services and supports for adults. We just don’t have them,” she said. “When people ask for services, support and resources, there’s no place to point them to unless they are children.”   Biplab Datta, PhD,  is an assistant professor in Institute of Public and Preventive Health and in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Augusta University.

Teal Benevides, PhD, OTR/L is an associate professor and the  Director of Faculty Development, Institute of Public and Preventive Health

Both experts are available to speak about this important research - simply click on either expert's icon to arrange an interview and time to talk today.







Estimating Adults Living with Intellectual Disabilities in America - Our Experts Look at the Numbers

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