Facilitating the identification of intellectual disability in schools: a qualitative study of stakeholder views

Background: Many children experience delayed or missed identification of an intellectual disability diagnosis, meaning that key opportunities for early educational intervention may be lost.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the views of teachers, parents, and clinicians (n = 22), about the use of the Child and Adolescent Intellectual Disability Screening Questionnaire (CAIDS-Q) and what could improve screening and identification of intellectual disability in schools. Thematic analysis was used to identify relevant themes.

Results: Three themes were identified: the need for, and role of, screening in the context of limited knowledge about intellectual disability; the impact of screening and subsequent identification of intellectual disability; and the context within which participants felt screening should take place in order to maximise its benefits.

Conclusions: The results confirmed the importance and benefits of timely identification of children with an intellectual disability and the positive role that screening might play in this.