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Understanding the IDD Community: Important Data
People with IDD face major health differences. IEC thinks that improving healthcare for people with IDD is about both fairness and quality. Making the system stronger is crucial for the health of our whole society.
Important Information
An estimated 16 million Americans currently live with IDD, representing 3%-5% of the total US population. IDD includes common conditions like:
--autism
--cerebral palsy
--Down syndrome
--intellectual disability,
--attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
--and more rare conditions like Williams syndrome or Rett syndrome.
1 in 20 Americans Have IDD
Health Differences
People with IDD face health differences that can lead to:
--Bad health results
--Unneeded and/or harmful treatments
--Shorter life spans
People with IDD:
- Have more conditions for life, like diabetes and heart disease. They also are 6 times more likely to die during pregnancy or giving birth than people without IDD.
- Do not get regular check-ups as often, such as checking blood pressure and cholesterol or checking for vision and hearing problems.
- Do not get checked as often for some cancers, such as cervical, breast, and prostate cancer.
- Have a higher chance of being lonely and have less emotional support.
- Have a risk of suicide that is 3 times higher for people with intellectual disabilities and 6 times higher for autistic people compared to people without IDD.
Differences Across Race
Health differences are even worse for the 30% of people with IDD who are Black, brown, or have low incomes.
Black autistic children are often diagnosed years after signs start. Sometimes they aren't diagnosed until later into elementary school. Because of this, they are less likely to get from early help that many white autistic children get as toddlers. (This information comes from a study: Hilton et al., 2010; Mandell et al., 2009).
Autistic people who are Black or Hispanic are 2 times as likely to say they have poor or fair mental and physical health as autistic people who are white. Black or Hispanic autistic people have diabetes and other lifelong medical conditions more often than white autistic people.
Average Age a Person is Diagnosed with Autism
White
5.5 years
Black
7.9 years
Percentage of Children Diagnosed with Autism the First Time they Visit a Specialist Doctor
Black
72%
White
58%
(CDC MMWR, Surveillance Summaries / March 27, 2020 / 69(4);1–12)
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