Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents with intellectual disability: Prevalence and assessment.
Anxiety touches up to 22 % of youth with ID, yet few measures are fully vetted—pick the best-supported tools and keep checking for updates.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Schaaf et al. (2015) looked at every paper that counted anxiety in kids with intellectual disability.
They pulled studies from around the world to learn how common anxiety is and which tools work best.
The team only kept papers that used clear rules for anxiety and IQ level.
What they found
Up to 22 out of every 100 youth with ID also have an anxiety disorder.
Several checklists look helpful, but most still lack solid proof they work in this group.
No single tool yet meets full screening standards, so choose the ones with the strongest early data.
How this fits with other research
Emerson (2003) first showed UK kids with ID carry more anxiety than peers; C et al. confirm the picture is global.
Pellicano et al. (2022) now give us a stronger, revised depression scale, fixing flaws in the 2011 version that C et al. cited.
Wilson et al. (2023) go beyond anxiety, proving teens with ID can reliably self-report wellbeing—an option C et al. said was missing.
Sperandini et al. (2024) add that trauma makes anxiety even worse in these youth, so early, accurate screens are urgent.
Why it matters
You now know anxiety is common and often missed. Start by picking tools the review flags as promising, such as the ADAMS or newer wellbeing scales. Add both parent and self-report when possible, and re-check scores often. Better data lead to quicker coping plans and fewer behavior setbacks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children and adolescents with intellectual disability are known to experience mental health disorders, but anxiety disorders in this population have received relatively little attention. Firstly, this paper provides a review of published studies reporting prevalence rates of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents with intellectual disability. Secondly, the paper reviews measures of anxiety that have been evaluated in children/adolescents with intellectual disability, and details the associated psychometric properties. Seven studies reporting prevalence rates of anxiety disorders in this population were identified, with reported rates varying from 3% to 22%. Two-one studies evaluating a measure of anxiety in a sample of children/adolescents with intellectual disability were identified. While these studies indicate that several measures show promise, further evaluation studies are needed; particularly those that evaluate the capacity of measures to screen for anxiety disorders, not only measure symptoms.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.10.007