People with intellectual disability are at increased risk of traumatic experiences. For example, physical and sexual abuse, and bullying. This often goes unreported and untreated.

Healthcare experiences can be traumatic for people with intellectual disability, and they may be re-traumatised in standard healthcare settings.

People who support people with intellectual disability have limited knowledge of trauma and how to provide trauma-informed care. There are no state or national guidelines about trauma-informed care for people with intellectual disability in healthcare settings.

Research suggests people with intellectual disability have poor hospital experiences. This project will help us understand how trauma-informed care may improve these experiences.

We will adapt existing guidelines for trauma-informed care to make them relevant for people with intellectual disability in healthcare settings.

We will also set up an advisory committee of researchers, allied health professionals, and people with intellectual disability to help develop the guidelines.

Project timeline: September 2025 to June 2026

Project team: The project leads are Kitty-Rose Foley and Katie Brooker

Acknowledgement: Thanks to the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing for supporting this project