Extending patient-centred communication to non-speaking intellectually disabled persons

Patient-centred communication is widely regarded as a best practice in contemporary medical care, both in terms of maximising health outcomes and respecting persons. However, not all patients communicate in ways that are easily understood by clinicians and other healthcare professionals. This is especially so for patients with non-speaking intellectual disabilities. We argue that assumptions about intellectual disability-including those in diagnostic criteria, providers' implicit attitudes and master narratives of disability-negatively affect communicative approaches towards intellectually disabled patients.