Developmental Disability

Developmental Disability (DD) is defined by an individual having an IQ<70 and at least 2 areas of disability e.g. epilepsy, gastrointestinal disorders, mental health etc. This is an unpopular teaching subject, however its prevalence and morbidity rivals the poor statistics seen in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and therefore DD must be prioritised in the medical education curriculum.

To address this priority, GP Synergy has been involved in the collaborative development of learning activities which seek to address the many barriers faced by clinicians in treating patients with DD (such as cognitive/communication difficulties, difficulty with physical examination and lengthy consultation times).

Choose from the following options:-

  • Women with Intellectual Disability: A workbook for patients, carers and their doctors developed in partnership with NSW Health.

    Download Womens Health PDF

  • Health and Disability: Partners in Action: Details about a teaching and learning resource including DVDs, student workbooks, tutors guide and knowledge base developed by CDDH Victoria and Monash University.

    Download Health and Disability Form

    Download Health and Disability Product Information

  • Fitting Disability into Practice: A PowerPoint presentation incorporating ways to use Medicare items to map out a year of good health care for people with intellectual disability.

    The following links give you access to the original PowerPoint presentation as well as the two embedded videos. Right-click and select "Save Target As..." (or the equivalent for your web browser) to download and save the files to the same folder/directory on your computer.

Presentation Kit - free download for educational use
Please note: all three items must be downloaded - and - to the same folder on your computer

Preview low-resolution version

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  • Intellectual Disability Mental Health First Aid Manual (2009): Is a supplement to the generic Adult Mental Health First Aid Manual. It is a resource for those who are supporting adults with an intellectual disability and an emerging mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. There are also a number of hard copies available. To obtain a hard copy, or provide feedback or for further information please contact Ruth Pappas at the Statewide Behaviour Intervention Service either by phone on (02) 8876 4000 or by email ruth.pappas@dadhc.nsw.gov.au

    Download Intellectual Disability Mental Health First Aid Manual (2009)