More than a Physical Problem: The Effects of Physical and Sensory Impairments on the Emotional Development of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

With the introduction of the ICD-11 and DSM-5, indicators of adaptive behavior, including social–emotional skills, are in focus for a more comprehensive understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders. Emotional skills can be assessed with the Scale of Emotional Development-Short (SED-S). To date, little is known about the effects of physical disorders and sensory impairments on a person’s developmental trajectory. The SED-S was applied in 724 adults with intellectual disabilities, of whom 246 persons had an additional physical and/or sensory impairment. Ordinal regression analyses revealed an association of movement disorders with more severe intellectual disability and lower levels of emotional development (ED) on the overall and domain levels (Others, Body, Material, and Communication). Visual impairments predicted lower levels of ED in the SED-S domains Material and Body, but not the overall level of ED. Hearing impairments were not associated with intellectual disability or ED. Epilepsy correlated only with the severity of intellectual disability. Multiple impairments predicted more severe intellectual disabilities and lower levels of overall ED. In conclusion, physical and sensory impairments may not only affect physical development but may also compromise intellectual and emotional development, which should be addressed in early interventions.

Scale of Emotional Development – Short: reliability and validity in adults with intellectual disability

“…Affective disorders could be seen across several levels of ED (Lytochkin et al 2021). Furthermore, no association of the level of ED and epilepsy could be seen in two different samples (Pena-Salazar et al 2021;Sterkenburg et al 2022).…”

“…In this study, affective disorders were not associated with lower levels of ED. Sterkenburg et al (2022) examined the effects of physical and sensory impairments on emotional functioning. Interestingly, movement disorders were associated with more severe ID and lower levels of ED on the overall level and on certain domains (others, body, material and communication).…”

Brief report comparing the Scale of Emotional Development – Short (SED‐S) with other scales for emotional development

“…For instance, recent work (Sterkenburg et al . 2022) has shown that different physical and sensory impairments are related to specific domains of ED.…”

“…Hereby, comparison of the different scales on the domain level may be supportive to obtain better insights within the different aspects of ED. For instance, recent work (Sterkenburg et al 2022) has shown that different physical and sensory impairments are related to specific domains of ED.…”