Factors which contribute to the unmet health needs of people with disability, identified by the National and New South Wales Councils for Intellectual Disability (NSWCID) and the Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine (AADDM), include high rates of often complex health problems, a lack of specialist skill, assumptions that symptoms flow from disability and not a separate health issue and a lack of multidisciplinary focus between disability services and the health system.525
Case Study
Vivian is 21 and, from an early age had symptoms of instability, loss of mobility and loss of continence that were mistakenly attributed to her disability. At age 14, an ultrasound showed she had no cervix or vagina and a large amount of blood in her uterus. A misdiagnosis of psychosis, epilepsy and dementia (brought on by medication) led to her being heavily medicated to the point that she lost her speech and many skills. Finally, a doctor with expertise in intellectual disability was able to diagnose lupus.
