This presentation will explore how evidence-based therapies, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - can be thoughtfully adapted to meet the mental health needs of people with intellectual disabilities.
Sections
The prevalence of mental health conditions in people with ID
Challenges in assessment of mental health conditions among people with intellectual disabilities
Adaptations of CBT for people with intellectual disabilities
An introduction to Fearless Me, an evidence-based program designed to help children with ID manage anxiety, and how its principles can be applied to other mental health conditions (freely available to access)
Participants will leave with concrete strategies for assessment and therapy adaptations, as well as insights into how to implement Fearless Me in clinical and community settings.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to:
Identify the prevalence and presentation of mental health conditions in children and adults with intellectual disabilities, and recognise how these differ from the general population.
Evaluate the limitations of standardised mental health assessment tools when applied to individuals with intellectual disabilities, and apply strategies to enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Apply evidence-based adaptations of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to meet the cognitive, communication, and developmental needs of people with intellectual disabilities.
Integrate principles from the Fearless Me program to support children with intellectual disabilities in managing anxiety, and extend these approaches to other mental health conditions.
Implement practical, ethically-informed strategies to adapt therapy within both clinical and community settings, with the aim of reducing barriers to care and improving mental health outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities.