WUIDDRC Supplement-Supporting the health and well-being of children with intellectual and developmental disability during COVID-19 pandemic

PROJECT SUMMARY/Abstract: Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at major risk of irreversible harm from theCoronavirus Infectious Diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly those from underserved populations.Not only are they at dramatically higher risk of becoming infected with Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeCoronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and death from COVID-19, but children with IDD are vulnerable to the negativeimpact of school closure. School districts provide critical services beyond the education, including nutritional,social, therapy (physical, occupational, and speech-language) and healthcare services. Risks are heightened forchildren with IDD, as they are often unable to wear masks, practice social distancing and/or implement effectivehand hygiene. Access to rapid and reliable SARS-CoV-2 testing is essential for children with IDD and schoolstaff in order to safely return to school. Members of our research team have developed an innovative, scalable,low-cost method for SARS-CoV-2 testing using saliva samples. Investigators at the Washington UniversityIntellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC@WUSTL), in collaboration with theUniversity of Missouri-Kansas City Institute of Human Development and the Kennedy Krieger Institute inMaryland (which includes an IDDRC, the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities, and the KennedyKrieger School Programs), are ideally positioned to determine the best implementation strategies to maximizeuse of a saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test for vulnerable children and school staff in a school setting.The IDDRC@WUSTL has a long-standing relationship with the Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis County,whose mission is to serve children with IDD, and the national network of the Association of University Centerson Disabilities (AUCD). First, we will determine the most effective messaging and implementation strategies tomaximize weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing in a school setting. In this adaptive clinical trial, we will administer 52,000diagnostic tests to students and school staff at SSD, whose student population is 48% Black. Second, we willmeasure national attitudes among parents/guardians of children with IDD and school staff regarding the impactof COVID-19 and the importance of SARS-CoV-2 testing. At the successful completion of this project, we willhave improved the acceptance, adoption, and process for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing in a school-basedsetting to enable delivery of critical educational activities for children with IDD in an underserved community. Byidentifying the most effective methods for SARS-CoV-2 testing in a vulnerable population of children with IDD,we will establish a blueprint for wider adoption of COVID-19 mitigation efforts, such as vaccination.