Pleasure, sex, prohibition, intellectual disability, and dangerous ideas.

The sexual lives of people with intellectual disability continue to be the subject of prohibition and restriction by disability sectors. Without access to sex education and the concomitant sex literacy, people with intellectual disability are denied the essential conversation about sex, sexual expression, and pleasure. The authors explore the history of sexual repression of people with intellectual disability, and the culture of sexual disempowerment. This propositional paper offers a sense of hope about sex facilitation and sex education for people with intellectual disability which can afford them a full life.

Medication use among Australian adults with intellectual disability in primary healthcare settings: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is concern about widespread medication use by people with intellectual disability (ID), especially psychotropic and anticonvulsant agents. However, there is sparse information on prescribing patterns in Australia. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2000 and 2002 among adults with ID who live in the community in Brisbane, Australia. Medication data were extracted from a health screening tool. Demographic and medical data were collected from telephone interviews and medical records. RESULTS: Of 117 participants, 35% were prescribed psychotropic medications, most commonly antipsychotics, and 26% anticonvulsants. Complementary medications (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fish oil, and herbal products) were used by 29% of participants. After adjusting for potentially confounding variables, psychotropic medication use was significantly associated with having a psychiatric illness (adjusted odds ratio = 4.6, 95% CI [1.0, 20.6]) and challenging behaviours (4.4, [1.1, 17.3]). CONCLUSIONS: People with ID use a broad range of medications. Psychotropic medications continue to be the most predominant agents prescribed for this population. Psychotropic medication use is positively associated with having a psychiatric illness and challenging behaviours.

Effects of health screening for adults with intellectual disability: a pooled analysis.

Health screening has been shown to have beneficial effects on health outcomes in adults with intellectual disability. However, the nature of the population, which makes it difficult to recruit, has meant past studies have been relatively small and effect estimates unstable. This study conducted a pooled analysis of two randomised trials and one cohort study, containing a total of 795 participants. Use of a simple, low-cost screening tool produced substantial increases in health-promotion and disease-prevention activity, when compared with usual care.

Parental Concerns about the Health of Adolescents with Intellectual Disability: A Brief Report.

Background. Parents of adolescents with intellectual disability are concerned about the future health and well-being needs of their children. Method. Qualitative data was collected as part of a cross-sectional descriptive study and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 parents. The results were themed. Results. Most parents discussed areas of their children's health which made them anxious about the future. These concerns were collated into five themes. Conclusion. The health and well-being themes were dependency, general health, challenging behaviours, and increasing support needs.