What's your relationship status? Supporting dating for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Social participation is a critical contributor to positive life outcomes for youth with disabilities (Griffin et al., 2019; Louw et al., 2019; Nadig et al., 2018; Shogren et al., 2018). Yet compared to their peers, youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) demonstrate a significantly lower frequency of social participation (Gangl et al., 2011). These findings are especially striking when considering occupational participation in intimate partner relationships. Heifetz et al. (2019) found that although 85% of youth with IDD wanted to pursue a romantic relationship, only 35% reported being in a relationship, and 14% expressed limited awareness of the difference between a romantic relationship and friendship.

Research examining intimate partner relationships (e.g., dating) in the IDD community suggests that adults with IDD experience multiple internal and external barriers to participation in intimate relationships (Bathje et al., 2021), including increased risk for sexual assault (Curtiss & Kammes, 2019) and decreased access to sex education (Graff et al., 2017). Additionally, while many adults with IDD express a desire to be in an intimate relationship, this desire is not always paired with the pursuit of sexual activity (Bathje et al., 2021), highlighting the importance of taking a holistic view of intimate partner relationships that encompasses all aspects of dating.