This mixed methods survey study aims to investigate school staff's perspectives on using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with students with the most severe disabilities in Swedish school settings. The study employed a convergent mixed methods design, where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed in…

Introduction: Challenging behaviors are common in individuals with developmental disabilities and pose significant challenges to their well-being and that of their families and communities. Method: We explored the occurrence and predictors of self-injurious behavior and aggressive/destructive behavior in 372 Canadian youths (aged 4-20 years) with…

The purpose of this paper was to better understand the current practice of arts therapy in educational institutions in the Czech Republic comparing it to that in health-care institutions and other working environments. The research goal was to analyze the prevalence of the different fields of arts therapy, the main difficulties of clients, the…

Aim: Our aim was to study the prevalence and characteristics of constipation in children with profound multiple disabilities, as data in this area are scarce. Method: A cross-sectional observational study was performed in specialized day-care centres and schools in the Netherlands. The study included 152 children (81 males, 71 females; mean age 9y…

Evaluation of the relationship between hyperactivity and learning difficulties in 1,593 Australian elementary students indicated twice as many males as females with learning difficulties; 11% of the sample were hyperactive; 41% of the subjects with learning difficulties were also hyperactive; and 3.2% of all subjects had both hyperactivity and…

Background: The prevalence of visual impairments in people with severe and profound multiple disabilities (SPMD) is the subject of considerable debate and is difficult to assess. Methods: In a typical Dutch care organization, all clients with SPMD (n = 76) participated in the study and specific instruments adapted to these clients (requiring a…

This study assessed the prevalence of epileptic seizures in 378 children attending special education centers for students with intellectual disability in Amman, Jordan. Findings indicated that 20% had a history of epilepsy. Epilepsy was more prevalent among children with severe disability than mild intellectual disability, males than females, and…

Available from: Elizabeth K. Chapman, School of Education, The University of Birmingham, P. O. Box 363, Birmingham, 15, England. To examine the contemporary validity of the statement in the Vernon Report (EC 072 439) regarding the incidence of blind children (5 to 15 years old) with additional handicaps, a questionnaire survey of children in…

Examination of the prevalence of epilepsy and health service utilization in 1,595 people with intellectual disabilities in Wales found 16.1% had epilepsy. Standardized activity ratios were 3.07, 2.03, and 3.09 for inpatients, outpatients, and accident and emergency, respectively. Patients with intellectual disability and co-existing epilepsy used…

This article reports on a 1995 survey of students with visual impairments in Japan (4,537 in special schools and 233 in visual impairments units in mainstream schools). Although there appears to be a decrease in the number of students with visual impairments, the proportion of those with additional disabilities is increasing. (Contains…

The 1984-85 Venezuelan Survey of Deaf Children collected information on 804 deaf students between ages 3 and 14. Among findings were that 29% of the cases were caused by maternal rubella, that 36% had additional handicaps, and that meningitis was the most frequently reported after-birth cause of hearing losses. (Author/DB)

According to enrollments in schools for the deaf and data from the national census and neonatal hearing screening programs, the incidence of severe and profound childhood deafness in Australia is, and has been, less than commonly assumed. Factors implicated include improved medical care, mainstreaming, cochlear implants, and genetic science. Data…

This book offers a British perspective on ways of conceptualizing, assessing, and intervening in the challenging behavior of people with severe learning disabilities, with emphasis on the types of technical support needed. An introductory chapter explains why the term "learning disability" is used rather than mental handicap, mental…

The survey of 79 group homes for persons with mental handicap in two provinces of the Netherlands found a positive relationship between age and certain sensory handicaps and chronic diseases, as well as the co-incidence of certain health problems. (Author/DB)

A study investigated the prevalence of different disabilities in 780 students found eligible for special education in Norway. Almost all had more than one disability, with the most common disabilities being psychosocial problems, intellectual disability, and communication disorders. One-third were reported to have attention deficit disorder or…