Trauma related to medical care of people with developmental disability

Experiences of medical care that are potentially traumatic include procedures a person might have difficulty tolerating or does not understand the need for, or for which they have not contributed to the consent process. Common examples include blood tests, dental examinations and cervical screening. The risk of trauma is higher among people who have a communication disability or whose cognitive capacity impairs their understanding of the procedure.

The experience of trauma may be exacerbated by an increased need for medical care and intervention (eg recurrent hospital admissions) over the person with developmental disability’s lifespan, resulting in cumulative trauma. The effects of previous trauma can be triggered by subsequent exposure to the environment in which it occurred.

See Trauma-informed care for advice on practices that can guide safe and sensitive health care.