Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Published Ahead of Print
    • Archive
    • Supplemental Issues
    • Collections - French
    • Collections - English
  • Info for
    • Authors & Reviewers
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Advertisers
    • Careers & Locums
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
  • About CFP
    • About CFP
    • About the CFPC
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
  • Feedback
    • Feedback
    • Rapid Responses
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Email Alerts
  • Blogs
    • Latest Blogs
    • Blog Guidelines
    • Directives pour les blogues
  • Mainpro+ Credits
    • About Mainpro+
    • Member Login
    • Instructions
  • Other Publications
    • http://www.cfpc.ca/Canadianfamilyphysician/
    • https://www.cfpc.ca/Login/
    • Careers and Locums

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
The College of Family Physicians of Canada
  • Other Publications
    • http://www.cfpc.ca/Canadianfamilyphysician/
    • https://www.cfpc.ca/Login/
    • Careers and Locums
  • My alerts
The College of Family Physicians of Canada

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Published Ahead of Print
    • Archive
    • Supplemental Issues
    • Collections - French
    • Collections - English
  • Info for
    • Authors & Reviewers
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Advertisers
    • Careers & Locums
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
  • About CFP
    • About CFP
    • About the CFPC
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
  • Feedback
    • Feedback
    • Rapid Responses
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Email Alerts
  • Blogs
    • Latest Blogs
    • Blog Guidelines
    • Directives pour les blogues
  • Mainpro+ Credits
    • About Mainpro+
    • Member Login
    • Instructions
  • RSS feeds
  • Follow cfp Template on Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
Review ArticlePractice

Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities

Canadian consensus guidelines

William F. Sullivan, Joseph M. Berg, Elspeth Bradley, Tom Cheetham, Richard Denton, John Heng, Brian Hennen, David Joyce, Maureen Kelly, Marika Korossy, Yona Lunsky and Shirley McMillan
Canadian Family Physician May 2011; 57 (5) 541-553;
William F. Sullivan
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: bill.sullivan@surreyplace.on.ca
Joseph M. Berg
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Elspeth Bradley
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Tom Cheetham
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Richard Denton
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
John Heng
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Brian Hennen
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
David Joyce
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Maureen Kelly
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Marika Korossy
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Yona Lunsky
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Shirley McMillan
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Objective To update the 2006 Canadian guidelines for primary care of adults with developmental disabilities (DD) and to make practical recommendations based on current knowledge to address the particular health issues of adults with DD.

Quality of evidence Knowledgeable health care providers participating in a colloquium and a subsequent working group discussed and agreed on revisions to the 2006 guidelines based on a comprehensive review of publications, feedback gained from users of the guidelines, and personal clinical experiences. Most of the available evidence in this area of care is from expert opinion or published consensus statements (level III).

Main message Adults with DD have complex health issues, many of them differing from those of the general population. Good primary care identifies the particular health issues faced by adults with DD to improve their quality of life, to improve their access to health care, and to prevent suffering, morbidity, and premature death. These guidelines synthesize general, physical, behavioural, and mental health issues of adults with DD that primary care providers should be aware of, and they present recommendations for screening and management based on current knowledge that practitioners can apply. Because of interacting biologic, psychoaffective, and social factors that contribute to the health and well-being of adults with DD, these guidelines emphasize involving caregivers, adapting procedures when appropriate, and seeking input from a range of health professionals when available. Ethical care is also emphasized. The guidelines are formulated within an ethical framework that pays attention to issues such as informed consent and the assessment of health benefits in relation to risks of harm.

Conclusion Implementation of the guidelines proposed here would improve the health of adults with DD and would minimize disparities in health and health care between adults with DD and those in the general population.

  • Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada
View Full Text
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Canadian Family Physician: 57 (5)
Canadian Family Physician
Vol. 57, Issue 5
1 May 2011
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on The College of Family Physicians of Canada.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities
(Your Name) has sent you a message from The College of Family Physicians of Canada
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the The College of Family Physicians of Canada web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities
William F. Sullivan, Joseph M. Berg, Elspeth Bradley, Tom Cheetham, Richard Denton, John Heng, Brian Hennen, David Joyce, Maureen Kelly, Marika Korossy, Yona Lunsky, Shirley McMillan
Canadian Family Physician May 2011, 57 (5) 541-553;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Share
Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities
William F. Sullivan, Joseph M. Berg, Elspeth Bradley, Tom Cheetham, Richard Denton, John Heng, Brian Hennen, David Joyce, Maureen Kelly, Marika Korossy, Yona Lunsky, Shirley McMillan
Canadian Family Physician May 2011, 57 (5) 541-553;
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Methods
    • Practice guidelines
    • Discussion
    • Conclusion
    • Acknowledgments
    • Notes
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • Soins primaires aux adultes ayant une déficience développementale
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Chronic disease management in patients with intellectual disabilities: a matched study in Dutch general practice
  • Predictors of specialist somatic healthcare utilization among older people with intellectual disability and their age-peers in the general population: a national register study
  • Annual Wellness Visits for Persons With Physical Disabilities Before and After ACA Implementation
  • Health check guidelines and billing for family physicians caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Incentives to improve care
  • TOP-ID: a Delphi technique-guided development of a prescription and deprescription tool for adults with intellectual disabilities
  • What adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities say they need to access annual health examinations: System navigation support and person-centred care
  • Palliative care for patients with communication and cognitive difficulties
  • Primary care of adults with severe and profound intellectual and developmental disabilities: Family physicians perspectives on patient-physician relationships
  • Comprehensive preventive care assessments for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Part 2: 2003 to 2014
  • Comprehensive preventive care assessments for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Part 1: How do we know if it is happening?
  • Soins primaires aux adultes ayant des deficiences intellectuelles et developpementales: Lignes directrices consensuelles canadiennes de 2018
  • A greater understanding
  • Approaches to primary care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Importance of frameworks for guidelines
  • Supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate in health care decision making
  • Exploring the prenatal experience of women with intellectual and developmental disabilities: In a southeastern Ontario family health team
  • Une meilleure comprehension
  • Comment aborder les soins primares aux adultes ayant des deficiences intellectuelles et developpementales: Importance des cadres conceptuels pour elaborer des lignes directrices
  • Building a Foundation to Reduce Health Inequities: Routine Collection of Sociodemographic Data in Primary Care
  • Factors associated with polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy in older people with intellectual disability differ from the general population: a cross-sectional observational nationwide study
  • Predictors of emergency service use in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder living with family
  • Care of adults with developmental disabilities: Effects of a continuing education course for primary care providers
  • Approche aux soins en milieu communautaire a des adultes ayant une deficience developpementale: Considerations d'ordre medical, ethique et juridique
  • Approach to caring for developmentally disabled adults in the community: Medical, ethical, and legal considerations
  • Periodic health examinations for adults with developmental disabilities: Are we doing enough?
  • L'examen medical periodique pour les adultes ayant une deficience developpementale: En faisons-nous assez?
  • Intellectual disability and mental health problems: a qualitative study of general practitioners' views
  • Soins primaires des personnes victimes d'une lesion medullaire: Etude de portee
  • Primary care of people with spinal cord injury: Scoping review
  • Attitudes of medical clerks toward persons with intellectual disabilities
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

Practice

  • Effectiveness of dermoscopy in skin cancer diagnosis
  • Spontaneous pneumothorax in children
  • Is 45 the new 50 in colorectal cancer screening?
Show more Practice

Clinical Review

  • Top studies of 2024 relevant to primary care
  • Approach to steatotic liver disease in the office
  • Foreskin care
Show more Clinical Review

Similar Articles

Navigate

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Archive
  • Collections - English
  • Collections - Française

For Authors

  • Authors and Reviewers
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Permissions
  • Terms of Use

General Information

  • About CFP
  • About the CFPC
  • Advertisers
  • Careers & Locums
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Subscribers

Journal Services

  • Email Alerts
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feeds

Copyright © 2025 by The College of Family Physicians of Canada

Powered by HighWire