As discussed in Appendix One, we also collected data on children's abilities with regard to a range of self-care tasks and developmental skills. The questions were adapted from the Looking After Children (LAC) schedules, and allowed some degree of comparison between the children in our sample and those in a community sample on which the original LAC materials were tested (Ward, 1995). Table A.1 presents the data for the children in our Parenting and Disability (PANDD) study and compares them with those for the original LAC community sample (three children have been excluded because they were below the age of seven at the time of interview). The table is split into three broad columns representing the three age bands used in the LAC schedules and reproduced in our study (ages 7-9, 10-15 and 16+). Each age group is then subdivided (the data from our study have been left unshaded, and the data from the LAC shaded). The questions for each sample are then listed in italics. This enables the reader to compare the data for children in the same age band across the two studies. For instance, we can see that 76.9% of seven- to nine-year-olds in our study could get a drink or a snack for themselves, compared with a figure of 93.3% for those in the LAC sample. However, it also enables us to compare the children in our study with older children in the LAC sample, reflecting concerns about the ‘false maturity’ experienced by the children of disabled parents. For instance, 31.5% of young people aged 16+ in the LAC sample had filled in a claim form. In our sample, the figure was 44.4% for those of a similar age, but only 11.1% for those aged between 10 and 15.

We must be cautious when interpreting these data. Firstly, the numbers are small and valid percentages are given only as an indication of the breakdown of the sample in response to each question, rather than as an indication of statistical significance. Secondly, while the LAC sample questions for all children (up to and including those aged 15) were asked in the third person – that is, to professionals – all of our questions were directed at children themselves. Thirdly, the two samples are not matched in any respect other than age.