Cultural Considerations for Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The United States has been and continues to be a multicultural society. Many children are born into two cultures, sharing a different one with each parent. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) may belong to a minority culture, the additional culture of disability, and the culture of poverty. After an introduction to culture and its characteristics, the focus of this article is on strategies pediatric nurses can use to assess and intervene with minority children with I/DD and their families in a culturally sensitive manner. Suggestions for future research are provided.