Child welfare-involved youth with intellectual disabilities: pathways into and placements in foster care.

Slayter et al. (2011) looked at child-welfare records across one state. They counted how many foster kids had intellectual disability and where those kids were placed.

Youth with ID were in foster care far more often than kids without ID. Most were sent to group or institutional settings instead of family homes.

Walton (2016) used the same data set and followed the kids longer. That team showed the same ID over-representation and added bad exit news: fewer kids ever went home and adoptions broke down more often.

Cidav et al. (2018) widened the lens to autism. They found kids with ASD entered foster care even faster than kids with ID, confirming the pattern is bigger than one diagnosis.

McIntyre et al. (2002) surveyed mothers of young adults with severe ID. Severe behavior problems, not just the label, pushed families to seek out-of-home care. Together these papers trace a line: high needs lead to care entry, then to restrictive placements, then to sticky exits.

If you serve foster youth with ID, expect more restrictive placements and longer stays. Build behavior-support plans early and prep adoptive homes for extra help. Screen every new foster child for ID and trauma history so you can match them with the right level of care the first time.