The Gap in Educating Medical Students on ID and Autism

In 2016, Oliver McGowan was hospitalized in England with recurrent seizures and pneumonia, during which doctors gave him an antipsychotic despite his family’s protests.
This led to a lethal neurological side effect and ultimately his death.
As a result, his mother, Paula, launched a campaign for health care workers to be trained on intellectual disability and autism.
In 2022, the U.K. National Health Service complied, mandating training on communication and accommodations needed for this population.
The U.S. needs to follow suit by starting with medical schools; however, current surveys report that physicians are often uncomfortable treating patients with intellectual disabilities or those on the autism spectrum.
To combat this issue, the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry created grants and resources for medical schools to integrate robust IDD education into their curricula; currently only 15% have taken advantage of them.

The Gap in Educating Medical Students about Intellectual Disability and AutismT