AAIDD, Leadership in IDD

 

Perspectives Commentary from the field

Bridging the Transition Cliff with Peer Coaching   Jenny Mai Phan, PhD George Mason University    Transition-aged youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face a well-documented "service cliff" as they age out of pediatric care and school-based supports. At a time when their neurotypical peers are navigating post-secondary education or entering the workforce with growing autonomy, young people with IDD often encounter fragmented services, limited guidance, and abrupt shifts in care and support systems. This disparity is not just a gap—it’s a chasm that too many young people fall into.   To bridge this divide, robust, well-resourced peer coaching programs are needed across the country that can connect transition-aged youth with trained peer coaches—individuals with lived experience of IDD who can offer guidance, encouragement, and practical strategies for navigating adulthood. Just as important, a cadre of peer coaches must be supported with structured training, supervision, and compensation. Investing in such programs will promote inclusion and foster skill development for both peer coaches and young people with IDD navigating these critical years.

Notables  Recent awards, accolades, appointments, and other honors.

Todd Wilson, FAAIDD, Appointed Acting Deputy Director of the Division of Community Systems Transformation at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Vincent Chesney, MS, FAAIDD, Named an Honorary Intellectual Patron for the University for Applied Sciences in Racibórz (Poland)'s Mental Health Days

May 2025 AAIDD Issue Briefs co-authored by Members Consent and Decision-Making Jesse G. Strickler, Sheida K. Raley, Makhari Dysart, Karrie A. Shogren, and Susan M. Havercamp,   Developing IDD Competent Healthcare Systems Li Ern Chen, Carrie Coffield, Tawara Goode, Jennifer Jones, Ilka Riddle, and Elizabeth K. Schmidt   An Ethical Approach to Health Equality Barbara Kleist   Health Policy and Systems David Ervin, Jason Rechtman, Susan Abend, and Alixe Bonardi   Issues Across Adulthood Lieke van Heumen, Kathryn Burke, and Lindsay DuBois, Meghan Burke, Sarah Swanson, and Ravita Maharaj   Key Challenges and Actionable Steps in Financing and Delivery Systems Parthenia Dinora, Elizabeth Stone, Julie Bershadsky, and Colleen Kidney   Mental Health in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Andrea Caoili, Mary Kay Rizzolo, Vincent Chesney, James Houseworth, and Rebecca Kasey   Promoting Health and Wellness                Lynda Lahti Anderson, Allison Caudill, Kyle Bradford Jones, Valerie Perkoski, and Mary Shotwell   What People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Need to Be Healthy Melissa DiSipio, Janice Goldschmidt, Jackie McGinley, and Renáta Tichá

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