Doody Owen, Cithambaram Kumaresan, Ryan Judy, Ryan Ruth, Conway Martina, Corby Deirdre
School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland.
Department of Nursing and Healthcare, Technological University of the Shannon, N37 HD68 Athlone, Ireland.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jun 21;13(13):1489. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13131489.
Globally, 1-3% of the population has an intellectual disability, but some remain undiagnosed, resulting in limited access to essential health and social care services, poor health outcomes, and higher risks of homelessness, substance abuse, and imprisonment. A formal diagnosis enables early intervention and support. A scoping review was conducted to explore research on undiagnosed intellectual disability, screening processes, and identifying indicators.
The scoping review search was conducted using academic databases such as CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and PubMed, along with eight grey literature sources. In addition, the reference lists of the included studies were explored. Information specialists supported and guided the search process. The search included qualitative, quantitative, review, and mixed-method research studies published in English between 2000 and 2024. Two reviewers screened papers for eligibility by title, abstract, and full text.
A total of 11,475 papers were screened, with 57 papers from various countries included in the review. Indicators of intellectual disability were identified in three settings: (1) educational settings (preschool, primary, and secondary schools); (2) social care services, including homeless and community services; and (3) criminal services, such as courts, probation, and prisons, highlighting the wide applicability of findings. These indicators were linked to "experiences", "behaviours", "challenges", and "observations".
This review emphasised the importance of early diagnosis by adopting appropriate assessment tools, which require national screening policies. It also highlighted the essential role of professionals working in intellectual disability services in identifying and supporting undiagnosed individuals, particularly within high-risk populations.
The review's findings will guide policy, practice, and research recommendations for enhancing the early identification of people with intellectual disabilities.
在全球范围内，1%至3%的人口存在智力残疾，但仍有一些人未被诊断出来，这导致他们获得基本医疗和社会护理服务的机会有限、健康状况不佳，以及无家可归、药物滥用和入狱的风险更高。正式诊断能够实现早期干预和支持。本研究进行了一项范围综述，以探索关于未诊断智力残疾、筛查过程和识别指标的研究。
使用CINAHL、PsycINFO、Scopus和PubMed等学术数据库以及八个灰色文献来源进行范围综述搜索。此外，还查阅了纳入研究的参考文献列表。信息专家支持并指导了搜索过程。搜索范围包括2000年至2024年期间以英文发表的定性、定量、综述和混合方法研究。两名评审员通过标题、摘要和全文筛选论文的 eligibility。
共筛选了11475篇论文，其中来自不同国家的57篇论文纳入了综述。在三种环境中确定了智力残疾的指标：（1）教育环境（幼儿园、小学和中学）；（2）社会护理服务，包括无家可归者和社区服务；（3）刑事服务，如法院、缓刑和监狱，这突出了研究结果的广泛适用性。这些指标与“经历”、“行为”、“挑战”和“观察结果”相关。
本综述强调了采用适当评估工具进行早期诊断的重要性，这需要国家筛查政策。它还强调了智力残疾服务领域专业人员在识别和支持未诊断个体，特别是高风险人群中的关键作用。
综述的结果将指导政策、实践和研究建议，以加强对智力残疾者的早期识别。
