Preparation of social workers for serving individuals with developmental disabilities: a brief report

A survey was sent to program directors of 498 social work schools to explore the developmental disabilities content in their curricula. The survey measured developmental disabilities content in terms of course content, practice opportunities, research opportunities, and value content. The response rate was 28.9%. Results indicated that very few schools offered developmental disabilities content in their curricula, and those that did offered it primarily as a field practica experience. Survey findings raise concerns about how well social work students are being prepared for practice in the field of developmental disabilities.