Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
Developmental disabilities can affect individuals across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Recent estimates in the U.S. indicate that approximately one in six children under age 18 have one or more developmental disabilities.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD, and epilepsy, can have a serious, sometimes devastating impact on a child’s quality of life. But bold advances in genomics have provided opportunities to reduce the impact of IDDs. The physician-scientists at WashU Medicine are working hand-in-hand with St. Louis Children’s Hospital to make the most of those opportunities.
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Our Approach
The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center at Washington University (IDDRC@WUSTL) is one of only 15 NIH-funded Eunice Kennedy Shriver Centers of Excellence for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research in the U.S. This network of IDDRCs is advancing knowledge, prevention, and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities.
IDDRC@WUSTL’s mission is to improve outcomes for pediatric patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a center that supports a variety of research initiatives among multiple departments and clinics, IDDRC@WUSTL serves as many as 23,000 patients and families each year.
The impact of our work is far-reaching. We seek to grow awareness among families and the local medical community of clinical and research opportunities. We will continue our research that advances our understanding of rare disease, including genetic causes. And we will develop genetic testing, physical exams, and data collection that do not place additional burden on physicians or patients.
The Path Forward
The initial grant that established the IDDRC@WUSTL expired in 2025, making philanthropic gifts more essential than ever. Your support will enable activities above and beyond those funded by federal grants—all to encourage more discovery and innovation.