MGH Institute of Health Professions, School of Nursing, 36 1st Avenue, Boston, MA 02129.
Associate Professor, MGH Institute of Health Professions, School of Nursing, 36 1st Avenue, Boston, MA 02129.
NASN Sch Nurse. 2024 Nov;39(6):289-295. doi: 10.1177/1942602X241291583.
Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are likely to experience psychiatric symptoms, like depression, anxiety, and distress, throughout their lifetime. Due to communication differences and minimal use of specialized diagnostic assessments for anxiety and depression, emotional pain can often be overlooked or underestimated in students with IDD. This is often complicated by atypical presentations of anxiety and depression, such as externalized aggression, self-injurious behaviors, or other behavioral dysregulation, that can indicate emotional distress, physical pain, or other medical complications. School nurses play an important role in assessing for emotional and physical pain in students with IDD using assessment tools currently available and clinical judgment. Tools that have been created for use in this population may account for the diversity of communication, sensory, and developmental differences in students with IDD. Through leading education and advocacy for the interprofessional school team, school nurses can increase the access that students with IDD have to equitable emotional health evaluations and services. School nurses can also promote emotional wellness for students with IDD through the incorporation of mindful and community activities in the care plan.
智障和发育障碍（IDD）学生在其一生中可能会经历精神科症状，如抑郁、焦虑和痛苦。由于沟通上的差异以及对焦虑和抑郁的专门诊断评估的使用很少，智障学生的情绪痛苦往往会被忽视或低估。这通常因焦虑和抑郁的非典型表现而变得复杂，如外化攻击、自我伤害行为或其他行为失调，这些行为可能表明情绪困扰、身体疼痛或其他医疗并发症。学校护士在使用当前可用的评估工具和临床判断评估智障学生的情绪和身体疼痛方面发挥着重要作用。为该人群创建的工具可以考虑到智障学生在沟通、感官和发育方面的多样性差异。通过为跨专业的学校团队提供教育和宣传，学校护士可以增加智障学生获得公平的情绪健康评估和服务的机会。学校护士还可以通过在护理计划中纳入正念和社区活动来促进智障学生的情绪健康。
