A case study of a young woman in segregrated (handicapped-only) residential and educational environments identifies discrepancies between two human service agencies' stated philosophy of normalization and actual behavior in five areas: (1) prosthetic equipment, (2) home and classroom materials, (3) agency goals and individual programs, (4) agency…

The authors question the assumption that parent participation is critical to the success of early intervention programs and cite the lack of research support for this notion in programs for young children with cerebral palsy. They note that financial considerations may still dictate the need for parent participation. (CL)

Summarized are the organization and activities of United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Inc. (KW)

Comparative testing in Finland of 30 cerebral palsied (CP) children (aged nine to 13) and 34 normal controls (aged 10 to 12) yielded results such as that acceptance of the dependence resulting from the handicap is essential for CP children's positive self concept and school achievement. (Author/MC)

A mother reviews the family's experiences with a young cerebral palsied daughter, including schooling, travel, and summer camp. The daughter herself, now an adult, remembers early struggles to communicate. (CL)

Describes how Arthur, an adult male with cerebral palsy, learned to read and write using computer technology and a holistic approach. (SR)

Studies of prosodic control in severe dysarthria (DYS) have focused on differences between impaired and nonimpaired speech in terms of the range and variation of fundamental frequency (F0), intensity, and duration. Whether individuals with severe DYS can adequately signal prosodic contrasts and "which" acoustic cues they use to do so has received…

More children and adolescents who have chronic illnesses are being included in regular education classrooms today than ever before. However, teachers may not feel confident about being able to meet these children's educational, social, or emotional needs in the classroom. School psychologists are able to assess children's functioning in these…

This study examined the relative benefit of three interventions (i.e. physiological, behavioural, and pragmatic) designed to facilitate speech recognition software use. Participants were 15 adults with dysarthria associated with a variety of aetiological conditions, including cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, and motor neuron disease. Results…

Although fluency instruction is an essential part of teaching reading, there is limited information on providing this type of instruction with students who have physical disabilities. This article examines three case studies across two students, one with cerebral palsy and the other with both arthrogryposis and spina bifida. In the first study,…

The normal aging process is not in itself a risk factor for constipation, but age-related morbidities, immobility, neurologic impairment or specific drugs are risk factors for constipation. This study was undertaken to examine the prevalence and risk factors for constipation in a large sample of 2400 persons with intellectual disability (ID) aged…

Participation in regular physical activity (PA) provides health, psychological, and physiological benefits for people with and without a physical disability. This study investigated the physical and sedentary activity patterns of adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). A cross-sectional, descriptive, postal survey was used, consisting of the…

In recent years, important changes in public policies and attitudes have resulted in improved opportunities for people with physical and mental disabilities. Now, people living with disabilities assume their rightful place in society as the equals of non-disabled people. Unfortunately, societal attitudes have changed less in regard to "sexuality"…