W Indian Med J
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In a population-based survey in a defined area in the parish of Clarendon, Jamaica, the prevalence of six types of childhood disabilities was sought. All children aged 2-9 years who screened positive for disability, with 8% of children screening negative (out of a total of 5,468 children), were assessed by a physician and a psychologist. Disabilities were categorised by types and levels of severity. ⋯ The rates for specific disabilities showed wide variation (cognitive, 81/1,000; speech, 14/1,000; visual, 11/1,000; hearing, 9/1,000; motor, 4/1,000; seizure, 2/1,000). Of the disabled children, 70% had only one disability, 23% had two and 6% had three or four disabilities. If disability is to be seen as a major outcome of a range of interacting factors, then these prevalence rates, taken with the specific aetiologies, would provide a framework for planning preventive and rehabilitative interventions.