When Dementia Looks Different: Transitions for Older Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

• By: Kristina Gasiewski, OTR/L, MEd, BCBA Laura Nagy, MS, CCC-SLP Lara Redcay, MEd, BCBA Amanda Duffy, MEd, BCBA, LBS Melmark
• January 5th, 2026
• assessment and screening, caregiver support, dementia, early detection, environmental adaptations, intellectual and developmental disabilities, quality of life, transition planning, Winter 2026 Issue
• 172    0

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are living longer lives then they have ever before (Bishop et al., 2015). Increased longevity means an increase in age-related changes and disorders such as dementia. Strydom et al. (2009) found that individuals with IDD are two to...

It’s Never Too Late to Communicate: Increasing Communication Access for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

• By: Laura Nagy, MS, CCC-SLP Melmark
• December 30th, 2024
• adults, communication, speech therapy, support, Winter 2025 Issue
• 4078    0

An estimated 5 million people in the United States are living with complex communication needs (CCN) (Beukelman & Light, 2020). This estimate includes people across all age groups and disability types who experience difficulties meeting their communication needs using only verbal speech....