Addressing Mental Health Equity for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Recommendations for National Goals

This article informs scientific audiences of recommendations developed at the 2024 American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) National Goals on Health Equity meeting convened to guide future practice, research, and policy. The Mental Health in IDD Workgroup was comprised of people with lived experience of intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health conditions, along with representatives from five universities, clinicians, and national policy and research organizations. Although the need to address mental health in people with IDD has long been viewed as a major equity issue, movement has been largely sporadic and reactive. To promote effective changes toward improved mental health and emotional well-being in people with IDD, a multipronged, cross-systems, and proactive national strategy is needed.