Public Special Services Provided to People With Intellectual Disabilities in Sweden: A Life‐Span Perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study describes public special services, support, and health care provided to an administratively defined county sample of people with intellectual disabilities from early childhood to adult age. Comparisons were made on the variables year of birth, sex, and assessed level of intellectual disabilities in 1974. Information was obtained from case files and included the period from year of birth of the participants (between 1959 and 1974) to 2005. All participants were provided public special services, support, and health care either periodically or throughout the study period. Changes in legislation were reflected in the type of services, support, and health care provided to the target group. Type and amount of special services and support were related to year of birth. Only a few differences were related to sex and level of intellectual disabilities. These results indicate that public special services, support, and health care provided to people with intellectual disabilities reflect disability policy, legislation, and professional attitudes over different periods. It is suggested that measures were tailored to meet general needs considered to be shared by all people with intellectual disabilities rather than individual choices and wishes. The interaction among professionals emerged only to a limited extent. However, deficient information in the case files does not imply absence of contact between professional groups, but, if continuity in services, support, and health care is to be attained, significant improvement in documentation is required.