- May children with IDD are unable to verbally express that they are experiencing medication side effects
- Children may express their discomfort through their behaviors and often a worsening of their challenging behaviors

How Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Communicate their Experience with Medications

- Children with IDD are more sensitive to side effects
- For Example: 18% of children with autism experience irritability on stimulants
- Clinical trials show that psychotropic medications can reduce challenging behaviors
  - But they can also cause adverse events like somnolence, upper respiratory infections, increased appetite with weight gain

Cedarville University

- Half of adults with IDD have been prescribed psychotropic medications, even after being discharged from a hospital to community setting.

- Some were dissatisfied with their medications due to:
  - A lack of involvement in the treatment decision
  - Adverse effects
  - lack of efficacy
  - A “desire to live a normal life”



Adults with IDDs Dissatisfaction with medications

McLaren, J. L., & Lichtenstein, J. D. (2019). The pursuit of the magic pill: the overuse of psychotropic medications in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the USA. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 28(4), 365–368. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796018000604

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