Oral Health for IDD Beyond Autism and Down Syndrome

There is no single protocol to fit every intellectual or developmental condition, and that's the point. A patient with fragile X syndrome may need a completely different sensory modification plan than a patient with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and a patient with profound cerebral palsy may need physical positioning support with no communication component whatsoever. The unifying characteristic here: Patients who need a provider willing to ask questions, change the setting, and treat the appointment as something that can be tailor-made for each individual and not vice versa.

For families and caregivers who have attempted and been rejected, or just never attempted because of what has come before that left us exhausted, irritated, upset, or simply overwhelmed, the truth is: it is out there. It is simply a matter of finding the practice that is willing to embrace the not-so-pretty diagnosis of what reality looks like.