Facilitating the identification of intellectual disability in schools: A qualitative study of stakeholder views

Many children experience delayed or missed identification of an intellectual disability diagnosis, meaning that key opportunities for early educational intervention may be lost.

Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the views of teachers, parents, and clinicians (n = 22), about the use of the Child and Adolescent Intellectual Disability Screening Questionnaire (CAIDS-Q) and what could improve screening and identification of intellectual disability in schools. Thematic analysis was used to identify relevant themes.

Three themes were identified: the need for, and role of, screening in the context of limited knowledge about intellectual disability; the impact of screening and subsequent identification of intellectual disability; and the context within which participants felt screening should take place in order to maximise its benefits.

The results confirmed the importance and benefits of timely identification of children with an intellectual disability and the positive role that screening might play in this.