Is there a 'hidden' population of adults with intellectual disabilities? Evidence from a follow-up study

Data from a follow-up study of a cohort of people with intellectual disabilities who entered adult services on school-leaving in the late 1960s (N = 73) and are now in middle age is examined for evidence of unmet need. Forty-six of the 65 surviving members of the cohort were continuing to receive specialist services for people with intellectual disabilities. Three had moved out of the region and could not be traced. The rest had a somewhat more ambiguous and uncertain status, although only three were no longer known to social work or NHS agencies. Those no longer receiving specialist services were significantly more intellectually and socially able than those continuing in services. It is concluded that there is no evidence of any 'hidden' population, and that the more arms-length relationship with services that a minority of the cohort has been able to negotiate is best seen as a continuation of a process of reclassification begun at school-leaving, although the change in public identity involved in such cases is limited and equivocal. The possibility that a 'hidden' population is to be found among older cohorts is considered, and the implications for services and research briefly discussed.