Background: Pain is a serious concern in people with intellectual disabilities. They may experience many painful situations because of the lack of management of common medical problems, because of their disability-related health state and because of age-related illnesses. Literature findings: Validated tools are now available to assess pain with accuracy. People with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities are able to understand pain and they know coping strategies. Most treatments of pain relief, including psychological methods are appropriate. Conclusion: There is still room for development in clinical training and to change attitudes to improve pain management in this population.