SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “DISABLED CHILDREN”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

Ultrasound assessment of swallowing in malnourished disabled children.

Oral motor dysfunction is common in children with neurological impairment. Nutritional advice depends upon an accurate assessment of feeding potential in these cases. Videofluoroscopic assessment of oral motor function has been the accepted "gold standard" investigation for several years but has significant drawbacks, including the time constraints set by the use of ionizing radiation and the problems posed by the cumbersome equipment needed in mimicking the child's normal feeding situation. Ultrasonography (US) has been suggested as an alternative or additional investigation of oral motor function in children with neurological impairment. We prospectively evaluated a scoring system derived from US assessment of oral motor function in 32 malnourished disabled children with feeding problems by comparing them with a group of matched control children without neurological impairment. US imaging provided useful information with regard to the oral cavity and the soft tissue structures, capturing the salient features of tongue/hyoid/palate activity and bolus transport across the tongue and through the hypopharyngeal area. The mean percentage score obtained by US assessment of oral motor function in children with neurological impairment was 54.3 +/- 23.2 and from children without neurological impairment 91.9 +/- 12.7 (p < 0.0001). Scores for the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing were also very significantly lower than that in the control group, both phases being equally impaired in the disabled children. This study has demonstrated that a scoring system based on US assessment of different components of oral motor activity detects statistically significant differences in the feeding capabilities of children with neurological impairment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978

Memory development in learning disabled children: evidence from nonverbal tasks.

The purpose of the present study was to test the developmental lag hypothesis with learning disabled children on two and three dimensional nonverbal task. Twenty-two learning disabled boys in two age groups of 11 each were tested on a probe memory recall procedure. In contrast to generalization of a developmental lag hypothesis, age-equivalent recall in primacy and recency positions reflected patterns similar to those of normal children. Further, a developmental analysis of nonverbal recall revealed constant age-related differences. Results suggested the developmental memory lag interpretation has been confounded with learning disabled children's generalized verbal deficits.

Child↗

PubMed1996

Definitions of severely mentally and physically disabled children in Japan: do the differences affect the prevalence rates of these children?

The prevalence rate of severely mentally and physically disabled children (SDC) aged 6-15 years in Okinawa prefecture on 1 May 1989 was 0.74/1000 (143/192,038) according to Oshima's classification, compared with 0.89/1000 (170/192,038) according to the Ministry of Education's classification with minor modifications. The number of children in region classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Oshima's classification for SDC were 100, 34, 6 and 3, respectively. The difference (n = 27) between the total numbers of SDC according to the two classifications was mainly because of 21 children categorized as "walking with support' who were included as SDC according to the Ministry of Education's classification but not as SDC according to Oshima's classification. Only region class 1 of Oshima's classification corresponded with region class 25 of the Ministry of Education's classification. The results of the present study indicate that the differences between the two definitions of SDC affect the reported prevalence rates of SDC. Therefore, changing patterns in the prevalence of SDC should be assessed by serial surveys using the same method in each district.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

[Thyroid function in severely disabled children].

Thyroid function tests were studied in 105 severely disabled children. Fifty-four cases (53%) showed following abnormalities. Serum TSH concentration was increased in 2 cases. Both serum T4 and T3 levels were decreased in 18 cases (17%). Only the serum T4 level was decreased in 25 cases (24%). Only the serum T3 level was decreased in 10 cases (9.5%). Two patients showed primary hypothyroidism. Two patients (monozygotic twins) were suspected to have subclinical hypothalamic-pituitary hypothyroidism caused by septo-optic-dysplasia. Abnormal thyroid functions were caused by anticonvulsants in most patients. The serum T4 level was correlated with the number of anticonvulsants, but not correlated with motor performance (daily activity) or feeding function. Four patients who had low T4 level or low T4 and T3 levels were received L-thyroxine supplementation, but no clinical improvement was observed. The serum TSH concentration was decreased and the TRH test showed hyporeaction in all of these cases. The low T3 level and normal T4 level were not related to anticonvulsant administration. Two of these patients were in poor nutritional condition, resulting in so called low T3 syndrome.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Psychological distress in mothers of disabled children.

We examined the impact of child disability on psychological distress in mothers, by comparing scores on two indexes of psychological distress of 369 mothers of children with cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, myelodysplasia, or multiple physical handicaps, with those of 456 mothers from a randomly selected sample of families ("control" subjects). Mothers of disabled children scored significantly higher than control subjects on both indexes of psychological distress. This finding persisted when the mothers' education, family income, and racial composition were controlled for. Type of disability, ie, the diagnostic classification of the disabled children, was unrelated to the mother's level of psychological distress. In contrast, the disabled child's dependence on others in daily activities had a significant effect on both measures of psychological distress; the more dependent the child, the greater was the mother's distress.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMed1983

A categorical analysis of the social attributions of learning-disabled children.

The social attributions of learning-disabled and control children with either similar or higher social acceptance ratings were assessed within an open-ended interview format. In addition, measures of social self-esteem and expectation of social success were obtained. The learning-disabled group used luck more frequently and personality interaction less frequently as explanations for social outcomes than did the other two groups. Learning-disabled children also had the lowest expectation of social success and, like the low acceptance group, had a poorer social self-image. Possible explanations for the development of these attributions and the implications for holding them were discussed.

Child↗

PubMed1989

Psychological predictors of adjustment by siblings of developmentally disabled children.

Psychological predictors of self-concept, behavior problems, and social competence of siblings of developmentally disabled children were identified and compared with those in matched siblings of nondisabled children. Subjects were 110 children (ages 8 to 15 years), 55 with a developmentally disabled younger sibling and 55 with a nondisabled sibling of the same age range as the disabled child (under 7 years). The subjects completed the child psychological measures that were analyzed in the context of family measures completed by the parents. Results show that distinct psychological predictors exist for children with developmentally disabled siblings, with parental stress and some dimensions of the family social environment being most significant.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Lip closing pressure in disabled children: a comparison with normal children.

Lip functions play an important role in the oral stages of feeding. Lip closing is an important early motor act in food acquisition and is essential for controlling chewing and swallowing. To date, there have been few papers on the developmental aspects of lip closing strength when taking in food, especially with regard to disabled children. This investigation was designed to produce an ordinal scale of midline lip pressure measurements for a cross-sectional, age-grouped population of normal children. Developmental changes in lip pressure were then compared with those of two populations of disabled children. Pressure measurements were obtained with a strain gauge transducer that was embedded in a spoon during normal feeding. The study population consisted of 104 normal children ranging in age from 5 months to 5 years, 11 children who showed developmental delay (mean 4.5 years), and 10 children with cerebral palsy (mean 5.0 years). Lip pressure was found to increase steadily from 5 months to 3 years and to increase slightly from 3 to 5 years in the normal population. The developmentally delayed group and the cerebral palsied group produced lip pressures and coefficients of variation below those of the normal 1 to 2-year-old group.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2003

[Clinical approach to improve quality of life of disabled children: introductory remarks].

This symposium, discussed clinical approaches to improve the quality of life for severely disabled children including the management of feeding and breathing problems, school life and grief care. Pediatric neurologists should be health care professionals for them, consider improving their quality of life at both home and school, help them to decide which information from different professionals is appropriate. In order to improve their quality of life, feeding and breathing problems are often the most important. Furthermore, we have to promote discussion and co-operation with school teachers, especially about so-called medical care.

Child↗

PubMed1984

Variations in WISC-R patterns of learning disabled children.

The WISC-R was administered to 19 learning disabled students at the time of diagnosis and following a period of time in special program placements. Group analyses indicated fluctuations between testing times in the Verbal and Full-Scale IQs and the V-P IQ discrepancies. Small but significant differences in Verbal, Performance and V-P scatter indices were observed at one or both testings in comparison to the normal standardization sample. Although the suggested group pattern for learning disabled children based on the Bannatyne categories was confirmed on both occasions, there was considerable variation for individual subjects.

Child↗

PubMed1998

Functional assessment and treatment of sleeping problems with developmentally disabled children: six case studies.

Sleeping problems are common among developmentally disabled children of young age and they may have adverse effects on the well-being of both child and parents. In the present study, results from functional assessment with four children suggested that sleeping problems were reinforced by parental attention whilst an undiagnosed seizure disorder was associated with nighttime crying with one child. Conditioned anxiety resulted in problems in settling to sleep with a sixth child. Behavioral (i.e., extinction, desensitization) and pharmacological (i.e., anticonvulsant) treatment resulted in a substantial reduction in sleeping problems with all children. Follow-up data indicate that effects were maintained.

Anticonvulsants↗

PubMed1997

Peer relations and friendship in physically disabled children.

This article presents the results of a literature study and qualitative fieldwork into the way physically disabled children experience friendship. We discuss literature on how children make contact with peers, on the nature of their friendship and on what it is like to be excluded. Some aspects are complemented with information from the children themselves. Peer relations and friendship are the very essence of a happy childhood. This article therefore closes with a number of recommendations to improve peer relationships.

Child↗

PubMed1989

The development of working memory in normally achieving and subtypes of learning disabled children.

Working memory has been proposed as an important component of reading and arithmetic skills. The development of working memory was studied in normally achieving and subtypes of learning disabled children. The performance of reading disabled (RD), arithmetic disabled (ARITHD), and attentional deficit disordered (ADD) children, age 7-13, was compared to normal achievers (NA) on 2 working memory tasks, 1 involving sentences and the other involving counting. There was a significant growth of working memory as a function of age. In addition, the RD children had significantly lower scores on both tasks. The ARITHD children had significantly lower scores only on the Working Memory--Counting task, and the ADD group had scores similar to the normally achieving children except at the youngest age level in the Working Memory--Sentences task. Thus, a reading disability appears to involve a generalized deficit in working memory. Children with an arithmetic disability do not have a generalized language deficit but have a specific working memory deficit in relation to processing numerical information. As children with ADD did not have deficits in these tasks, working memory may not have significant attentional components. An important component of the development of reading and computational arithmetic skills appears to be the growth of working memory for language and numerical information.

Achievement↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An epidemiological survey of severely mentally and physically disabled children in Okinawa.

A survey of severely mentally and physically disabled children (SDC) aged 6-15 years was conducted in Okinawa. There were a total of 170 SDC on 1 May 1989, the prevalence rate being 0.89/1,000. The prevalence rate of SDC over the last 20 years has shown a decreasing trend, which seems to be associated with the decreased incidence of cerebral palsy (CP) in the latter half of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s. Furthermore, CP accounted for the largest percentage (51.8%) of underlying disorders or conditions of SDC, similar to 20 years ago. This suggests that the incidence of CP could be an important factor in the prevalence of SDC. In addition, the percentages of SDC with CP with profound mental impairment and epilepsy, 97.7% and 79.5%, respectively, were larger than 20 years ago. This suggests that SDC with CP who have severe associated impairments have increased.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Missouri Children's Behavior Checklist profiles with developmentally disabled children: construct validity.

The clinical utility and construct validity of seven new MCBC behavior profiles were evaluated and compared to the original four behavior profiles. The relationship between the seven new behavior profiles and the clinical findings and recommendations that stem from an interdisciplinary evaluation of children referred to a clinic for development disabilities was determined. The seven cluster solution classified equally as well as the four cluster solution, but with increased differentiation into more specific internalizing and externalizing behavior profile subgroups. Construct validity information was provided for several of the new profiles in terms of the association with clinical findings of behavior problems and recommendations for therapy.

Aggression↗

PubMed1989

Utility of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision in the evaluation of reading disabled children.

The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision (LNNBCR) was used to investigate differences between reading disabled (RD) and academically normal children. The groups of 32 subjects each were equivalent with regard to age, sex, race, IQ, and SES of primary wage earner in the family. RD subjects, all of whom had been identified as learning disabled by the school, were moderately to severely impaired in reading, but not in math. Performance of the groups was significantly different on the battery as a whole and on an abbreviated form of the battery which excluded scales composed of items measuring language, reading, and arithmetic. With the abbreviated battery, the largest group differences were found on the Rhythm scale. It is hypothesized that poor performance on the Rhythm scale may reflect impaired auditory processing, which has a negative impact on the development of basic skills required for reading. A stepwise discriminant function analysis using the abbreviated battery correctly identified 84% of subjects. Evidence supporting discriminative validity of two methods of identifying RD children was found. Performance on an Experimental scale composed of nonreading items presumed to assess the integrity of areas of the brain mediating basic reading skills was no worse than on an equivalent randomly selected pool of items. The LNNB-CR may be a potentially valuable instrument for investigating neuropsychological differences between RD and normal children in that it provides relevant information to educators who must formulate remediation programs for RD children.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1994

The occlusal status of disabled children.

The occlusal status of children in 6 schools for the handicapped was determined using the Occlusal Index (O.I.) of Summers (1966). Two dentists examined 381 children who had not previously received orthodontic treatment. An additional questionnaire investigating treatment interests and habits was also completed for each child. The study showed that 74,5 per cent required treatment, 10,5 per cent had good occlusions and 15 per cent had slight malocclusions where treatment was not considered essential. The mean O.I. was 7,92 +/- 4,33. Schools with mainly cerebral and mentally disabled children had a slightly higher O.I. but the difference in values was not statistically significant. The analysis also showed that 40,6 per cent of children were interested in receiving orthodontic treatment, but only 0,5 per cent were planning to seek it. There is a need for orthodontic treatment amongst disabled children and this should be taken into account in future oral health care planning.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Withholding artificially provided nutrition and hydration from disabled children--assessing their quality of life.

This article focuses on quality of life determinations and limitation of treatment decisions for children with physical and mental disabilities. Issues are addressed through one pediatric convalescent center's ethical dilemma, deliberations and process for decision-making when the organization's definition of quality of life differed from that of the parents wishing to place their child there. The Ethics Committee suggested revised admission criteria to include provision of hydration and nutrition for future admissions.

Adolescent↗