This study questions commonly held Greek social policy assumptions that families are the best and only providers of support to children and adolescents with impaired mobility. This is because the experiences of family life by Greek adolescents with such impairments can be characterized by a cycle of over-protection, dependency and social…

The effectiveness and theoretical validity of Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), based on neuromotor development among nonhandicapped infants and young children, was investigated across seven cerebral palsied, severely handicapped children, ages 2 1/2 to 12 years. Results indicated that training had a statistically significant effect for four…

Three groups of college students were exposed to a 22 minute interview with a cerebral palsied person, in either an audio, video, or transcript format. An expectancy questionnaire covering such aspects as academic and vocational achievements, communication with the public, ability to handle put downs, and effectiveness of sexual expression was…

Results of the study involving 16 quadriplegic children (9 months-12 years old) indicated that early cognitive milestones can be achieved by children severely physically disabled since birth and that general intellectual level may be more important than severity of the motor handicap in determining such achievement. (Author/CL)

The study compared training in two language systems for three severely handicapped, cerebral palsied, nonvocal adolescents: the Bliss symbol system and an iconic picture system. Results showed that students learned iconic symbols faster, maintained higher percentage of iconic pictures, gave more correct responses during generalization probes for…

This paper reports on analysis of three published texts attributed to a Finnish man with mental retardation and cerebral palsy using facilitated communication. Evaluation of the level of independence in writing, eye focus, reading ability, and controlled message passing concluded he was not the author of the texts. Discussion examines validation…

This study compared language abilities in three groups of preschool children (total n=18) who were born prematurely: children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy associated with perinatal brain injury, with similar brain injury but no motor impairment, and with no brain injuries. No significant differences were observed among the groups on any…

Discriminatory ability of several pediatric outcome tools was assessed relative to Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level in patients with cerebral palsy. Five hundred and sixty-two patients (400 with diplegia, 162 with hemiplegia; 339 males, 223 females; age range 4-18y, mean 11y 1mo [SD 3y 7mo]), classified as GMFCS Levels I to…

A research study was conducted to investigate a control and display system for use with communication aids by physically disabled persons. A modification of a row/column scanning system was investigated to increase speed and accuracy of access to the communication system by six children with athetoid cerebral palsy. Four systems were compared:…

A study involving 20 Afrikaans-speaking children with cerebral palsy found that recurrent otitis media in early childhood had a negative effect on articulation abilities of the 7 to 11-year-old children but that other factors such as intelligence also played a role. (JDD)

The comparison of listeners' evaluations of nonspeech characteristics of eight dysarthric (due to cerebral palsy) and eight normal speaking children (ages 6-11) found that dysarthric speech adversely affected listeners' perceptions of the dysarthric speakers' personality and physical appearance characteristics. (Author/DB)

This study examined the effectiveness of treatment on the development of communicative intent in four young (ages 11 to 13 months) children with cerebral palsy. Treatment sessions included structured communication opportunities and physically facilitated exploration of toys. Results indicated significantly greater use of communicative signals…

This study investigated the effects of a hand positioning device on aspects of upper extremity movement control and muscular activity and visual motor performance in 10 children with cerebral palsy. Although no significant results were found, individual subject data revealed a trend toward increased numbers of movement units, slower movements, and…

Findings from two studies of 42 children with profound developmental delays (26 males and 15 females) using systematic and intense response-contingent learning opportunities interventions are reported. Response-contingent learning games were used to promote the participants' use of behavior that either produced environmental consequences or…

The report summarizes a project investigating effects of biofeedback on nine secondary students with speech problems including stuttering, vocal nodules, articulation problems, and cerebral palsy. It is explained that a portable electromyograph was used to give the students immediate visual and/or auditory feedback. Results listed include that Ss…