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Pain expression in children with an intellectual disability

Amandine Dubois1, Xavier Capdevila, Sophie Bringuier

  • 1Université Montpellier 3, EA 4425, Centre de Ressources Autisme L-R, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Montpellier, France. a-dubois@chu-montpellier.fr

European Journal of Pain (London, England)
|December 8, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with intellectual disability (ID) show different pain behaviors based on their ability to communicate. Non-verbal children with ID may display atypical pain expressions requiring individualized care.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pain Management
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Children with intellectual disability (ID) often cannot verbalize pain.
  • Caregivers rely on observable behaviors to assess pain intensity in non-verbal children.
  • Understanding behavioral pain expression is crucial for accurate assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine behavioral pain expression in children with ID in a surgical setting.
  • To compare pain expression in children with ID to typically developing peers.
  • To investigate the influence of communication abilities on pain expression.

Main Methods:

  • Descriptive and exploratory study design.
  • Inclusion of 30 children with ID (ages 5-18) in a surgical context.
  • Matching participants with typically developing children based on chronological and developmental age.

Main Results:

  • Expressive communication level significantly influenced pain expression.
  • Verbalizing children with ID showed normative pain behaviors, similar to same-developmental-age peers.
  • Non-verbal children with ID exhibited atypical, non-communicative pain behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Pain expression varies significantly between verbal and non-verbal children with ID.
  • Individualized pain management is essential for children with ID.
  • Accurate assessment and treatment of pain in non-verbal children with ID are critical to avoid under-treatment.
Abstract

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