Healthcare Needs in IDD

Course Code: REL-IDD-0-RHN

Hours: 0.75

Type: Online Course

Content Expiration Date: 9/30/2026

Learning Objectives:
Recognize signs and symptoms of healthcare needs for people with IDD.
Identify appropriate responses to healthcare needs.

Outline:
Section 1: Introduction

About This Course

Learning Objectives

Section 2: Recognizing Healthcare Needs

Something Isn’t Right

Recognizing Healthcare Needs

Understanding Baseline

Gathering Information

Responding to Healthcare Needs

Using Judgment

What Happens to Donna?

Signs of Healthcare Needs

Behavior Changes

Signs of Pain

Physical Signs

Vital Signs

Review

Summary

Section 3: Common Healthcare Needs

Health Needs in IDD

Aspiration

Dehydration

Constipation

Nail and Foot Problems

Dental Problems

Skin Problems

Seizures

Concussion

Medical Emergencies

Review

Summary

Section 4: Conclusion

Summary

Course Contributors

References

Congratulations!

Instructor: Katy Kunst, MBA, QIDP

Katy Kunst received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her Master of Business Administration from Elon University. She has 15 years of experience serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their supporters, including roles as direct support professional, program director, and training facilitator. She has created and facilitated training on topics including non-violent crisis interventions, person-centered planning, cultural competence, quality service delivery, regulatory compliance, and a variety of topics related to IDD services.

Expert Reviewer: Rebecca Smallwood, MBA, RN

Rebecca Smallwood, MBA, RN, has experience across multiple healthcare settings including: rural and urban acute care hospitals, public health, ambulatory surgery, higher education, and commercial healthcare learning organizations. Her roles have included: medical/surgical, ED, and OR Staff and Charge Nurse; Director of School Health Services/School Nurse; Public Health Epidemiology and Bioterrorism Preparedness Specialist; Infection Control Practitioner; Quality Management Specialist; Organizational Development Specialist and Educator. Prior to joining Relias as an acute care SME Writer in 2017 and Curriculum Designer in 2021, she provided consultation to Swank Healthcare and was the Director of Education Services for Health.edu, a division of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Rebecca earned a diploma in nursing from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas in 1989 and an MBA from Wayland Baptist University in 2010 with an emphasis in healthcare administration. 

Target Audience:
The target audience for this course is: Direct Support Professionals; in the following settings: Intellectual Developmental Disabilities.

Relias Learning will be transparent in disclosing if any commercial support, sponsorship or co-providership is present prior to the learner completing the course.

Relias Learning has a grievance policy in place to facilitate reports of dissatisfaction. Relias Learning will make every effort to resolve each grievance in a mutually satisfactory manner. In order to report a complaint or grievance please contact Relias Learning at support@reliaslearning.com.

Course Delivery Method and Format
Asynchronous Distance Learning with interactivity which includes quizzes with questions/answers, and posttests.