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Aging

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Handbook of Positive Psychology in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Child and Family Studies ((SSCFS))

Abstract

Research on older adults with intellectual disabilities often focuses on age-related losses in functioning and on ways to prevent decline. A positive psychology perspective on aging focuses on creating a positive and meaningful aging experience. It enables the formulation of supports and services informed by the life stories, experiences, and individual needs and preferences of these adults. This chapter discusses aging among people with intellectual disabilities from a life course perspective and focuses on the major transitions faced by this population: the transition to retirement, transitions in social networks, and the final transition of death and dying. Strengths-based interventions focused on future planning, social network interventions, and life story can support adults with intellectual disabilities through these transitions.

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Acknowledgements

The contents of this article were developed with funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL), and National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grants # 90RT5020-01-00 and # 90AR5007-02-00. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

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  1. Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 W. Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL, 60608, USA

    Lieke van Heumen & Tamar Heller

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  1. Lieke van Heumen
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  2. Tamar Heller
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Correspondence to Lieke van Heumen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education, Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

    Karrie A. Shogren

  2. Department of Special Education, Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

    Michael L. Wehmeyer

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, USA

    Nirbhay N. Singh

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van Heumen, L., Heller, T. (2017). Aging. In: Shogren, K., Wehmeyer, M., Singh, N. (eds) Handbook of Positive Psychology in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Springer Series on Child and Family Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59066-0_24

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