Adriana Soltero Calderón, director of operations at the Instituto Psicopedagógico de Puerto Rico and a clinical psychologist, spoke at the Foro sobre Discapacidad Intelectual, raising concerns about barriers facing people with intellectual disabilities once they turn 21. She said many parents worry about what will happen to their children as they age into adulthood, and argued society must ensure this later life stage includes opportunities, support, and quality of life.
Soltero Calderón noted that behaviors society may view as "inadequate"—such as frustration, irritability, screaming, or refusing an activity—are often the only means these individuals have to communicate. She warned that without understanding this behavior, families can feel unsupported and desperate, and stressed the need to support families before they reach crisis points. She explained that emotional or behavioral crises, marked by difficulty understanding one’s surroundings, can worsen without specialized services, sometimes leading to unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations.
She said many participants with intellectual disabilities end up in psychiatric wards without actually needing that level of care.