PAIN IN INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES LEADERSHIP
- Chair: Brian McGuire
Ireland
- Treasurer: Frank Symons
USA
- Secretary: Ruth Defrin
Israel - General Officers:
- David Moore
UK - Chantel Burkitt
USA
- David Moore
PAIN IN INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SOCIAL MEDIA
Pain in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Mission and Vision
The IASP Pain in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities SIG’s mission is to raise awareness and advance the assessment and treatment of pain across the lifespan for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We seek to provide a forum for the discussion of academic research to improve our scientific understanding of pain among the different IDD populations and to curate, collate and recommend best clinical practices to alleviate suffering for individuals with IDD as it relates to pain.
The Pain in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Group (PIDDSIG) aims to:
- Bring education and resources specific to pain assessment and management to this vulnerable and complex patient population.
- Encourage interdisciplinary knowledge exchange to advance awareness of the problem of pain for individuals with IDD within IASP and in consult with other national and international associations.
- To examine the underlying mechanisms of chronic and acute pain specific to individuals with IDD who may have altered or compromised physiological systems.
- Engage in and promote multidisciplinary and multi-site research collaborations.
- To identify and implement strategies, programs, and learning opportunities that support the goal of improving pain management for individuals with IDD internationally.
Pain in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (PIDDSIG) Webinars
On 12 September 2023 the Pain in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Group held a webinar entitled Pain and Autism: From the Clinic to the Lab and Back Again. This webinar described the clinical and anecdotal reasons for these assumptions and explored what current research into the pain experience for autistic people tells us.
The participants discussed work regarding pain psychophysics and brain imaging, as well as qualitative and mixed methods studies which place autistic peoples’ voices at the heart of its work and helps us gain insight into the experience of pain for autistic children and adults.
They also examined how autism-related differences may impact pain expression, assessment, and treatment. Throughout the webinar, there was a focus on the future and how we can address the problem of persistent and mismanaged pain for autistic people, including considerations of some of the core gaps in knowledge.
Participants Included:
- David Moore, PhD, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
- Michelle Failla, PhD, The Ohio State University, USA
- Bethany Donaghy, Liverpool John Moores University, UK (moderator)
On 22 June 2022, IASP's Pain Research Forum and Pain and Intellectual Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Group produced a webinar discussing different approaches to pain treatment in people with an intellectual or developmental disability. The webinar’s moderator, Ruth Defrin, PhD, facilitated a discussion between Tim Oberlander, MD, and Brian McGuire, PhD, who shared their experiences as a clinician and researcher (respectively) working to alleviate pain in people with an intellectual disability. Drawing on their clinical work in medicine and psychology, they discussed a range of topics related to the assessment and management of pain in children and adults with intellectual disability.
Participants Included
- Tim Oberlander, MD, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Canada
- Brian McGuire, PhD, University of Galway, Ireland
- Ruth Defrin, PhD, Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel-Aviv University, Israel
Pain in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Resources:
- 2022 IASP PIDDSIG Webinar: Approaches to Pain Treatment in People with an Intellectual or Developmental Disability
- Burkitt C.C, Genik L.M. Special issue on pain and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Pediatric Neonatal Pain. 2022
- Davies C. Communicating Lily’s Pain. WellChild. 2020
- Voepel-Lewis T, von Baeyer C. Pain Assessment in the Most Vulnerable Children. International Association for the Study of Pain. 2021
Members of the general public should contact IASP at iaspdesk@iasp-pain.org with inquiries about the SIG.