Vaccinating Adolescents With Intellectual and Developmental Disability at School: An Opportunity to Promote Supported Decision Making.

Internationally, vaccination rates among adolescents with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) are lower than those of the general population. Little research has addressed this issue. This study investigates the experiences of vaccinating adolescents with IDD in special education setting...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of School Nursing Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 271 - 284
Main Authors: Klinner, Christiane, Young, Alexandra, Strnadová, Iva, O'Neill, Jenny, Newman, Christy E., Wong, Horas, Davies, Cristyn, Vujovich-Dunn, Cassandra, Skinner, S. Rachel, Brogan, Deidre, Kang, Melissa, Danchin, Margie, Guy, Rebecca, Carter, Allison
Format: research Journal Article
Published: Sage Publications Inc. Jun2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=193688438&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 193688438
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        10598405
        GTY
      jtl: Journal of School Nursing
      issn: 10598405
      maglogo: Y
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jun2026
      vid: 42
      iid: 3
      pid: 344
      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
      place: Thousand Oaks, California
    artinfo:
      ui:
        193688438
        182512688
        193688438
        193688438
        10.1177/10598405241312981
        193688438
      ppf: 271
      ppct: 13
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
      tig:
        atl: Vaccinating Adolescents With Intellectual and Developmental Disability at School: An Opportunity to Promote Supported Decision Making.
      aug:
        au:
          Klinner, Christiane
          Young, Alexandra
          Strnadová, Iva
          O'Neill, Jenny
          Newman, Christy E.
          Wong, Horas
          Davies, Cristyn
          Vujovich-Dunn, Cassandra
          Skinner, S. Rachel
          Brogan, Deidre
          Kang, Melissa
          Danchin, Margie
          Guy, Rebecca
          Carter, Allison
        affil: Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Australia
      sug:
        subj:
          Children with Disabilities Psychosocial Factors
          Developmental Disabilities Psychosocial Factors
          Intellectual Disability Psychosocial Factors
          Schools, Special
          School Health Services
          Immunization
          Immunization Programs
          Student Experiences Evaluation
          Student Attitudes Evaluation
          Decision Making Evaluation
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Child
          Adolescence
          Parents of Children with Disabilities
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Australia
          Qualitative Studies
          Comparative Studies
          Descriptive Statistics
          Data Analysis Software
          Purposive Sample
          Questionnaires
          Analytic Research
          Conceptual Framework
          School Nursing Methods
          Funding Source
          Child: 6-12 years
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Internationally, vaccination rates among adolescents with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) are lower than those of the general population. Little research has addressed this issue. This study investigates the experiences of vaccinating adolescents with IDD in special education settings in Australia, with a focus on student engagement. Semistructured interviews and focus groups were undertaken with 50 stakeholders involved in the school vaccination program. Data was analyzed thematically using a framework approach. We identified five themes: lack of student engagement, practices discouraging engagement, practices fostering engagement, lack of vaccination protocol adjustments, and lack of disability-specific nurse training. Nurses' limited knowledge and skills in engaging students with IDD can result in unethical practices, students feeling excluded from vaccination decisions, and students being traumatized by negative treatment experiences. Clinical protocols lack guidance and reasonable adjustments to provide inclusive vaccination services. Supported decision making could provide more inclusive school vaccinations, more positive vaccination experiences, and higher vaccination rates among adolescents with IDD.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N