Editorial: Special Issue on Adult Development and Aging with IDD

摘要

The effects of advancing age on adults have only recently became a major topic of interest within the field of developmental disabilities, historically focused on promoting successful development during childhood and adolescence. While that emphasis remains, there is growing concern about the lifespan effects of disorders as a growing majority of affected children transition into adulthood, middle age, and even old-age. Four short decades ago, Schulman [1979] made no mention of "aging" and "aged" in his comprehensive text on adults with intellectual disabilities (ID), and it is a testament to progress of our field that any such text today would no doubt devote explicit attention to these topics.