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Feeding change helps keep kids with intellectual disability out of hospital

Children with intellectual disability who underwent gastrostomy – a feeding tube placed into the stomach – had better overall health and fewer hospitalisations for all causes except acute respiratory illnesses, research led by The Kids Research Institute Australia has found.

Rett Syndrome

A severe neurodevelopmental disorder mostly affecting girls.

Rare Diseases

While individual diseases are rare, as a group, rare diseases are common. Recent estimates suggest that between 3% and 6% of the world’s population are affected by rare disease.

Intellectual Disability

About 2 per cent of children are estimated to have an intellectual disability. The cause of the condition is unknown in at least 50 per cent of cases.

Children with disabilities 3 times more likely to be maltreated but risk varies by disability type

A new study has found children with disabilities are 3 times more likely to be maltreated compared to other children but that risk varies by type of disability.