Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-vt8vv Total loading time: 0.001 Render date: 2024-08-14T17:20:40.918Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Severely retarded children in a London area: prevalence and provision of services

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Lorna Wing
Lorna Wing
Affiliation:
M.R.C. Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

A one-day census was made (from the Camberwell Register) of children excluded from education in school, children in ESN schools with IQs of 49 or below, and pre-school children suspected of being severely retarded. Their service placements were again recorded 26 months later. Comparison with other prevalence studies suggests that the ‘true’ prevalence of severe retardation (IQ 49 or below) for school-age children in the United Kingdom at the present time is approximately 3·6 to 4·0 per 1,000 (age-specific rate). About 40% of these children are also non-ambulant, or severely incontinent or have severe behaviour disorders. Early identification and plentiful provision of day places alone do not necessarily reduce the demand for residential accommodation. Detailed studies are needed to determine the factors which exacerbate or minimize the problems faced by families with severely retarded children.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 1 , Issue 5 , November 1971 , pp. 405 - 415
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Egan, D. F., Illingworth, R. S., and Mac Keith, R. C. (1969). Developmental Screening 0–5 Years. Clinics in Developmental Medicine No. 30. Heinemann for Spastics International Medical Publications: London.Google Scholar
Goodman, N., and Tizard, J. (1962). Prevalence of imbecility and idiocy among children. British Medical Journal, 1, 216–219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kidd, C. B., Innes, G., and Ross, H. S. (1967). The prevalence of mental subnormality in two regions. Some comparisons between north-east Scotland and Northern Ireland. Ulster Medical Journal, 36, 139–144.Google ScholarPubMed
King, R. D., and Raynes, N. V. (1968). Patterns of institutional care for the severely subnormal. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 72, 700–709.Google ScholarPubMed
Kushlick, A. (1961). Subnormality in Salford. In A Report on the Mental Health Services of the City of Salford for the Year 1960, pp. 118–148. By Susser, M. W. and Kushlick, A.. Salford Health Department.Google Scholar
Kushlick, A. (1964). The prevalence of recognised mental subnormality of IQ under 50 among children in the south of England with reference to the demand for places for residential care. In International Copenhagen Congress on the Scientific Study of Mental Retardation 1964. Proceedings, Vol. 2, pp. 550–556. Edited by Østler, J. with the assistance of Sletved, H. V.. Danish National Mental Retardation Service.Google Scholar
Kushlick, A. (1967). The Wessex experiment—Comprehensive care for the mentally subnormal. British Hospital and Social Service Journal, 77, 1889–1892.Google Scholar
Kushlick, A. (1969). (Unpublished work.)Google Scholar
Kushlick, A. (1970). Social and Physical Incapacity Scale. (Unpublished work.)Google Scholar
Kushlick, A., and Cox, G. (1968). The ascertained prevalence of mental subnormality in the Wessex Region on 1st July 1963. In Proceedings of the First Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency, Montpellier, 1967, pp. 661–663. Edited by Richards, B. W.. Michael Jackson: Reigate.Google Scholar
Kushlick, A., and Cox, G. (1970). Planning services for Ihe subnormal in Wessex. In Psychiatric Case Registers, pp. 23–30. Edited by Wing, J. K. and Bransby, E. R.. Department of Health and Social Security Statistical Report Series No. 8. HMSO: London.Google Scholar
Lewis, E. O. (1929). Report on an investigation into the incidence of mental deficiency in six areas, 1925–1927. In Report of the Mental Deficiency Committee, Part IV. HMSO: London.Google Scholar
Mental Health Act (1959). Definition and Classification of Mental Disorder. Part I, Section 4. HMSO: London.Google Scholar
Moncrieff, J. (1966). Mental Subnormality in London. A survey of community care. PEP: London.Google Scholar
Scally, B. G., and Mac Kay, D. N. (1964). Mental subnor-mality and its prevalence in Northern Ireland. Acta Psychiatrica et Neurologica Scandinavica, 40, 203–211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sheridan, M. D. (1962). Infants at risk of handicapping conditions. Monthly Bulletin of the Ministry of Health and the Public Health laboratory Service, 21, 238–245.Google ScholarPubMed
Sheridan, M. D. (1968). The developmental progress of infants and young children. 2nd ed.Reports on Public Health and Medical Subjects, No. 102. HMSO: London.Google Scholar
Tizard, J. (1964). Community Services for the Mentally Handicapped. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Tizard, J., and Grad, J. C. (1961). The Mentally Handicapped and Their Families. A Social Survey. Maudsley Monographs No. 7. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Wing, L., Bramley, C., Hailey, A., and Wing, J. K. (1968). Camberwell cumulative psychiatric case register. Part I: Aims and methods. Social Psychiatry, 3, 116–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (1967). Manual of the International Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death. WHO: Geneva.Google Scholar