The existing research on pregnancy outcomes for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is sparse. This study analyzed the 2010 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample and compared deliveries among women with IDD (n = 340) to the general obstetric population. Women with IDD had longer hospital stays and were more likely to have Caesarean deliveries in contrast to other women. Rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes were elevated for women with IDD across a range of measures, including early labor, preterm birth, and preeclampsia, and their infants were more likely to have low birth weight, even after adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, and insurance type. Targeted interventions are needed to address these deleterious outcomes.

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On December 13, 2006, after over two decades of advocacy efforts, the United Nations adopted the Convention on Rights on Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). More than 150 countries have ratified or at least signed this international convention, to date. An important component of CRPD implementation is a systematic effort to evaluate whether and what extent the rights as stated in the CRPD are being upheld by individual countries. The purpose of this paper was to contribute to a U.S. and international discussion about monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities as codified by the CRPD by examining the potential use of the National Core Indicators Adult Consumer Survey (NCI‐ACS) for this purpose. The NCI‐ACS collects annual quality outcome data from over 13 000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 46 U.S. states. A crosswalk between the CRPD Articles and the 2013–14 NCI‐ACS was conducted to map the survey questions onto the CRPD. Forty‐seven variables from the NCI‐ACS focused on different aspects of disability rights were identified as related to 12 CRPD Articles, suggesting a moderate overlap between the NCI‐ACS and the CRPD. Next steps are discussed.

Background: Mental health conditions are common among individuals with intellectual disability. Under recognition of mental health disorders leading to unmet treatment needs is common in this population. This article addresses one major contributing factor, the lack of cognitively accessible self-report measures for individuals with intellectual disability.Method: In this literature-informed overview of the state of the field, we discuss the need for, and complexities of, including individuals with intellectual disability in mental health assessments.Results: With appropriate supports, many individuals with intellectual disability can respond to mental health questions. We discuss evidence-based strategies to make mental health assessments more accessible. Conclusion:We highlight the need to engage individuals with intellectual disability to provide first-hand information about their health and well-being. New instruments and research procedures should be developed in partnership with individuals with intellectual disability. Self-report may be essential to advancing the science of mental health research.