Listening Beyond Words: Recognizing and Responding to Pain in People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Join the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing for a webinar on treating pain in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Date:
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Time: 12 noon - 1 p.m.
Location:
Zoom
Pain in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is frequently overlooked, misunderstood, or attributed to behavioral concerns rather than underlying physical discomfort. Communication differences, diagnostic overshadowing, and assumptions about pain expression can create barriers to effective assessment and treatment. As a result, painful conditions can remain undiagnosed and cause needless suffering.
This webinar combines clinical insights, lived experience perspectives, and practical strategies to help healthcare professionals recognize pain that may not be communicated in traditional ways.
Participants will learn:
- How pain presents differently in some people with IDD
- Common myths and assumptions that contribute to missed pain
- Why behavioral changes may signal underlying pain
- Person-centered approaches to pain assessment
- The importance of caregiver and support professional input
- Practical clinical strategies for recognizing and responding to pain
The session is ideal for nurses, health care providers, direct support professionals, educators, and disability service providers.
This activity has been approved for 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Organized by:Hosted by Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing