DEFINITION AND PREVALENCE OF SCHOOL-AGED MULTI-HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

Background. - Regulations concerning services for handicapped children in France have defined the notion of multi-handicap. There are, howev er divergences in the procedures for applying this definition, and dif ferences in the prevalence in different areas. This study is aimed at clarifying these two points. Population and methods. - A survey in thr ee French departments provided data about disabled children born betwe en 1975 and 1985 who received services from the departmental committee for special education or from day hospitals. The data was systematica lly collected by a physician using medical files. Results. - The resul ts showed that the group of multi-handicapped children was heterogeneo us. The most restrictive definition (motor disability with profound me ntal retardation bed-ridden or restricted to a chair) resulted in a pr evalence of 0.73%. A broader definition based on the concept of zero a utonomy, but excluding mild or moderate menial retardation, resulted i n a prevalence of 1.28%. Conclusion. - The importance of specifying th e objectives of a definition selected for operational reasons is stres sed in order to improve the estimation of specific needs. (C) 1998, El sevier, Paris.