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

> **NIH NIH P50** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $3,734,054

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at major risk of irreversible harm from the
Coronavirus 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 Syndrome
Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and death from COVID-19, but children with IDD are vulnerable to the negative
impact 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 for
children with IDD, as they are often unable to wear masks, practice social distancing and/or implement effective
hand hygiene. Access to rapid and reliable SARS-CoV-2 testing is essential for children with IDD and school
staff 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 University
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC@WUSTL), in collaboration with the
University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute of Human Development and the Kennedy Krieger Institute in
Maryland (which includes an IDDRC, the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities, and the Kennedy
Krieger School Programs), are ideally positioned to determine the best implementation strategies to maximize
use 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 Centers
on Disabilities (AUCD). First, we will determine the most effective messaging and implementation strategies to
maximize weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing in a school setting. In this adaptive clinical trial, we will administer 52,000
diagnostic tests to students and school staff at SSD, whose student population is 48% Black. Second, we will
measure national attitudes among parents/guardians of children with IDD and school staff regarding the impact
of COVID-19 and the importance of SARS-CoV-2 testing. At the successful completion of this project, we will
have improved the acceptance, adoption, and process for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing in a school-based
setting to enable delivery of critical educational activities for children with IDD in an underserved community. By
identifying 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.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10232657
- **Project number:** 3P50HD103525-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN N. CONSTANTINO
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $3,734,054
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-07-28 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10232657

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10232657, WUIDDRC Supplement-Supporting the health and well-being of children with intellectual and developmental disability during COVID-19 pandemic (3P50HD103525-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10232657. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*