Services for people with intellectural and developmental disabilities in Hong Kong

Abstract

The services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Hong Kong are reviewed. A fairly comprehensive assessment system for diagnosing developmental disabilities among children is adopted in Hong Kong. For infants, assessment is mainly performed within the medical sector. For toddlers, services are provided in different social and medical settings according to the severity of the problems. For school age children with limited intellectual abilities, they receive services from special schools. While some services are available for adults with intellectual disabilities, almost no services are available for adults with dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This review suggests that while much resource has been deployed to the medical and social welfare sectors, evidence-based care management system and community-based care intervention are weak and the use of case managers is not systematic and widespread. Systematic resource allocation, planning, and cooperation among different stakeholders should be promoted to develop effective care and case management systems for individuals with intellectual developmental disorders in Hong Kong.