Diagnosis of sensory impairment in people with intellectual disability in general practice.
A quick ear peek and asking about glasses or hearing aids once a year is enough to spot most sensory loss in adults with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Martin et al. (1997) asked family doctors to treat sensory checks as part of routine care for adults with intellectual disability.
The paper lists quick steps: look in the ears, ask if glasses or hearing aids are worn, and refer when something seems off.
No extra clinic day or full sensory work-up is required.
What they found
The group agreed that yearly otoscopy and asking about aids catches most vision and hearing problems early.
They say this light-touch plan is enough; big annual sensory screens are not needed.
How this fits with other research
Sandberg et al. (2026) later show adults with ID still get more sensory diagnoses than the general public. Their data support the 1997 call to keep checking, but they also hint that cancer screens are missed—something the 1997 paper did not tackle.
de Vaan et al. (2018) extend the idea by giving a new tool, OASID, for spotting autism in clients who already have both sensory loss and ID. The 1997 guide helps you find the sensory loss; OASID then helps you ask if autism is also present.
Lifshitz et al. (2004) find high rates of vision and hearing problems by age 40. This agrees with Martin et al. (1997) that early, simple checks matter, and it adds a timeline: start before mid-life.
Why it matters
You can add two questions and a 30-second ear look to any doctor visit. Doing this each year finds trouble early, saves money, and keeps clients engaged in day programs. No extra gear or referral day is needed unless red flags appear.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present authors have participated in the development of a Dutch consensus on the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of hearing and visual impairment in children and adults with intellectual disability. They argue that the early detection of sensory impairment in babies and children with intellectual disability should primarily be a responsibility of paediatricians and youth health physicians. General practitioners should be aware of the necessity of screening and should check whether this has been done when children visit the surgery. It is stressed that the general practitioner should play a more active role in the detection of age-related sensory loss in older adults with intellectual disability, and the assessment of younger adults whose sensory functions have never or incompletely been evaluated. Annual sensory screening is certainly not necessary, but annual otoscopy to detect impacted earwax or unidentified middle ear infection, as well as checks of the proper use of glasses and hearing aids, are suggested. Most adults with mild or moderate intellectual disability can be assessed with methods that are normally used by general practitioners. Uncooperative people should be referred for screening with specialized methods. A low-threshold referral system (e.g. via district expert teams) has been outlined.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1997 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.1997.tb00730.x