The Physiological and Psychological Effects of COVID-19 on Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing public health crisis with both physical and psychological ramifications affecting the global population. While every person has been affected by the disease itself or the repercussions of the pandemic, COVID-19 has particularly affected specific populations, such as children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Physically, this population suffers from a series of comorbidities, increasing their susceptibility to developing more severe health risks. They also encounter physical barriers to public health information and often live in residential group settings. All of these factors contribute to their increased infectivity and correlate to their higher fatality rates. In addition, this population also has distinct psychological risks, as during the pandemic their therapies and services were halted, their mental health issues were exacerbated, and their already difficult socioeconomic statuses were further challenged. This paper seeks to outline the plethora of issues that children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) and their families face, outlining a series of studies, papers, and personal accounts. After highlighting the effects that COVID-19 had and continues to have on children with IDDs and comparing their experiences to previous pandemics, the goal of this paper is to suggest ideas, reforms, and protocols that should be employed to better protect this population against a future public health crisis like a global pandemic.