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Development and Evaluation of "Period Kits" for Adolescents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: An
Sophia Boxerman1, Brittany Flores1, Xihan Yang2
1Tufts University Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Insights
Period kits can help children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) learn about menstruation and discuss puberty. These kits improve knowledge and encourage family conversations about periods.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Disability Studies
- Menstrual Health Education
Background:
- Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant unmet medical needs and lower care satisfaction.
- A lack of evidence-based resources exists to prepare children with IDD for menarche (first menstruation).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of custom "period kits" in reducing anxiety and improving menarche preparedness for children with IDD.
- To assess the impact of these kits on knowledge and family discussions regarding menstruation.
Main Methods:
- An embedded mixed methods study involving nine child-adult family pairs.
- Participants received custom "period kits" containing educational materials and period management items.
- Pre- and post-kit surveys and thematic analysis of feedback were used to evaluate efficacy.
Main Results:
- Children with IDD demonstrated limited baseline knowledge about menstruation and puberty.
- Post-kit exposure, participants showed improved knowledge and increased interhousehold discussions about periods.
- Negative perceptions and hesitancy regarding menstruation conversations were reduced.
Conclusions:
- Custom "period kits" show promise in enhancing menstrual knowledge and facilitating family communication for children with IDD.
- These kits can be a valuable tool for addressing the educational gap in menstrual health for this population.
- Further research with larger sample sizes is recommended due to the study's qualitative nature and small scale.
Background:
Patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience greater unmet medical service needs and decreased care satisfaction compared to those without these diagnoses. There are no evidence-based resources widely available to prepare children with IDD for menarche.
Methods:
This IRB approved embedded mixed methods study investigated the efficacy of "period kits" for patients with IDD to ease anxiety and improve preparedness for menarche. Custom kits included a colorful pouch, an original social story, a resource list, and common period management items. Nine family pairs (child/adult) were enrolled. Surveys performed before and after kit exploration queried participants' understanding of menarche, and feedback about the kit itself. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
Surveys of the children showed limited knowledge about periods at baseline. Additional themes prior to provision of the "period kit" included limited knowledge, negative perceptions and emotional responses about menstruation and puberty and hesitancy approaching period conversations. After kit exposure, there was an improvement in period related knowledge and promotion of interhousehold discussion with continued room for conversation.
Conclusions:
Many kids with IDD have limited baseline knowledge about menstruation. Custom "period kits" may be helpful in stimulating conversation within families and promoting increased knowledge about menses to children and families. Limitations of this study are small size and qualitative nature, potentially limiting generalizability and external data validity.
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