Volume 3 issue 1

By Ann Smith MSN, RN, CDDN

Welcome to the latest publication of the International Journal of Nursing in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IJNIDD), which includes articles by United States interdisciplinary authors and a book review by a nurse practitioner from Canada. 

This issue will enlighten nurses and other readers about:

• Collaborative efforts by dental personnel and nurses to prevent and treat oral diseases
• Guidelines for adequate nursing support and staffing to improve the health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.   
• Medications used in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders
• Results of a qualitative case study of nurses working in emergency departments and their perceptions and experience in working with people with intellectual disabilities

International Journal of Nursing in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities continues to be a free electronic scholarly, blind peer reviewed journal that offers new, readily available learning opportunities for nurses and other interested parties who meet people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.  The journal also provides an opportunity for international experts, including family members as well as professionals, in the field of intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) to share their vast wealth of knowledge with others, regardless of geographic location.

The journal seeks to provide information and resources on a wide range of topics and addresses clinical, non-clinical and research issues.  It will provide information about nursing practice; individual, family and caregiver partnerships; educational strategies; policy development; research and a wide range of clinical topics.  The first publication, Historical and Global Perspectives of Nursing and Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, was “theme oriented.” The last few issues covered diverse topics.  Depending upon expressed interest and manuscripts that are submitted, future publications may address either one or a variety of topics. 

We are pleased to report that J. Carolyn Graff, PhD, RN, FAAMR, Assistant Professor of Primary and Public Health and Chief of Nursing at the Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities in Memphis, TN, is guest editor for the next issue, which will address the topic of genetics.  With the completion of the sequencing of the human genome and ongoing genetic and genomic advances, nurses have many opportunities to use this information to improve the health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Authors will discuss the importance of pharmacogenomics on diseases and symptom management, the most up-to-date information on fetal alcohol syndrome, ways to use family history to identify relatives at risk of intellectual and developmental disabilities, and resources and strategies to help nurses integrate genetics and genomics into their daily practice. 

Preparation is also in place for the development of future issues that will include a collection of articles on topics such as evidence-based practice and disaster preparedness.   We are looking for contributors who will provide a variety of perspectives on these issues.  Nurses and other professionals in the field of I/DD have so much specialty knowledge and information to share. We are seeking potential authors, not only from the United States but also from countries worldwide. Please consider writing on these or other topics that are relevant to your area of expertise.  

The editorial board welcomes interdisciplinary collaboration and international reader participation. Please join us in continuing our quest to provide this resource to all who come in contact with people with I/DD in order to assist with improving the health care supports for people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities across the life span in diverse practice settings worldwide.

Ann Smith, MSN, RN, CDDN has over thirty years experience in the field of Developmental Disabilities Nursing and was among the first group of nurses to receive certification as a Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse (CDDN). Her experience covers the life span of individuals with developmental disabilities in a variety of settings. For eighteen years she was the Director of Health Services at the Evergreen Center in Milford, Massachusetts, where she continues to work part time as Health Services Advisor. She has been involved in various educational and advocacy roles and served as Secretary on the Board of Directors of Personal Advocacy and Lifetime Support (PALS). Ann Smith serves as Certification Chair in her role as Second Vice President of the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (DDNA).  She is a charter member and Treasurer of the Bay State Developmental Disabilities Nurse Network (BSDDNN), the regional network of the DDNA)and has also held positions as Vice President and President of the BSDDNN.    With support from the BSDDNN, the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program and Shriver New England Index, Ann Smith created and continues to maintain the BSDDNN Web site (http://www.ddnursing.org).  Her vision regarding the need to educate all nurses in the area of intellectual and developmental disabilities led to her initiation of the development of this journal when she was a 2001 LEND Fellow at the Shriver Center in Waltham, Massachusetts.  She participated with other LEND Fellows as Co-editor of the Community Membership issue and was Guest Editor of the Genetics issue of the on-line journal, Leadership Perspectives in Developmental Disability www.ddleadership.org.