Transforming Care for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and Autism: Insights from the IDD/Autism Summit 2025
Keywords:
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD),, Autism, IDD/Autism Summit 2025, TUFH 2025Abstract
The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and Autism Summit, a cornerstone event of the TUFH 2025 Conference held from September 14-15, 2025, in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, convened more than 450 participants from 29 countries. The two-day event, co-hosted by the Woods System of Care (WSOC), the Mollie Woods Hare Global Center of Excellence, and The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH), an official non-state actor of the WHO, brought together physicians, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, educators, self-advocates, and families to collectively advance and transform care for individuals with IDD and autism.
The summit provided a platform to examine pressing systemic challenges such as fragmented healthcare delivery, workforce shortages, diagnostic overshadowing, overreliance on medication, and structural barriers to inclusion. Discussions highlighted promising innovations, including integrated and interdisciplinary care models, data-informed behavioral interventions, precision medicine, technology-enabled supports, and community-driven approaches that prioritize family engagement and lived experience. Participants developed key recommendations centered on workforce development, standardized data collection, lifespan care planning, policy reform, and enhanced cross-system collaboration. By bridging research, policy, and lived experience, the IDD/Autism Summit 2025 advanced a global dialogue on inclusive, person-centered care and charted a transformative path toward supporting individuals with IDD and autism to thrive and participate fully in their communities.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Anupriya Mishra (Author)
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