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Assessing pain in children with intellectual disabilities
Lynn M Breau1, Chantel Burkitt
1School of Nursing, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. lbreau@dal.ca
Pain Research & Management
|June 18, 2009
Summary
Children with developmental disabilities often experience pain. Observational pain assessment tools, like the Noncommunicating Children's Pain Checklist, are recommended for managing pain in these children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pain Management
- Developmental Disabilities
Background:
- Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience pain more frequently than typically developing children.
- Pain assessment in children with IDD is challenging due to communication barriers, complex pain issues, and maladaptive behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide guidance on assessing pain in children with IDD.
- To highlight effective pain assessment strategies for this population.
Main Methods:
- Review of current research on pain assessment in children with IDD.
- Evaluation of self-report versus observational measures for pain assessment.
- Recommendation of specific validated tools.
Main Results:
- Observational measures demonstrate the most consistent evidence for pain assessment in children with IDD.
- The Noncommunicating Children's Pain Checklist--Postoperative Version is recommended for children and youth aged 18 years or younger.
- Changes in function and maladaptive behaviors can indicate underlying pain.
Conclusions:
- Observational pain assessment is crucial for children with IDD, especially those with limited communication.
- Utilizing validated tools and considering functional changes can improve pain management.
- Enhancing children's coping skills may mitigate the impact of pain.
