Someone once observed, “All grief is like all other grief, some other grief, no other grief.” This is universally true but no more so than in the lived reality of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). While there is general information available on grief and loss from a wide variety of sources, information pertaining to the sometimes unique complexities of mourning for a person with IDD can be harder to find. Below are some resources that may prove helpful as you strive to compassionately support people in your life who are experiencing loss and processing grief.

Professionals in the field of grief and loss suggest direct support professionals become familiar with the ways grief and loss impact people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The accumulation of losses over a lifespan can cause serious health concerns if unacknowledged/ unsupported. The ideas in this resource are stated in terms of helping individuals process the death of a person they valued but can be adapted to assist in processing any significant experience of loss or change.

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Download resource – Spanish (PDF)

This resource is designed to help identify specific situations grievers with IDD may experience and behavioral communications that may be grief related. For each situation or communication there is a strategy to employ that may promote healing.

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Download resource – Spanish (PDF)

Ritualizing Grief with People with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities is a guide to planning a grief ritual with suggestions for items or activities around which a ritual can be designed. These are rooted in neither cultural nor faith traditions and are not meant to replace either; they are meant merely to provide the opportunity to express personal and communal loss in a safe, symbolic, participatory and meaningful way.

Download guide – English (PDF)
Download guide – Spanish (PDF)