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The historiography on blindness in the early modern period has focused almost entirely on the condition itself, rather than the lived experiences of the blind. It is often suggested that before the modern age it is impossible to access their lives. This article challenges that assumption. The evidence, though fragmentary, is far richer than has been supposed. The article shifts the focus to the blind themselves: their emotional responses, experiences and lives, and the impact on their families. It demonstrates how the experience of blindness was shaped by factors such as age, social status, gender, occupation, and the degree of disability. The well-to-do found ways to adapt, while the poor faced a desperate struggle to survive. The blind continued to live among their neighbours, and through recovering their experiences we also gain a more nuanced picture of social attitudes across the early modern period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the effects of sensory-motor perception and movement training on the developmental areas and emotional and behavioral problems of children with neurodevelopmental problems. The sensory-motor perception and movement training program applied in this work focused on the personal and social, fine and gross motor, receptive and expressive language, emotion, and behavior issues of 15 children aged 2 to 6 years consisting of nine children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, three children having Speech Disorder, and three children having General Development Delay. The program was applied for 18 weeks, six days a week and two hours per day, for a total of 216 hours. The Denver-II development scale and the Child Behavior Checklists (separately for ages of 2-3 and 4-6) were used to create the pretest-posttest design. Using these data, the positive impacts of training on development areas as well as emotional and behavioral issues were measured. According to the Wilcoxon signed-rank test results, children's Denver-II development scale and its sub-dimensions' scores after sensorymotor perception and movement training improved significantly (p<0.05). When the pretest and posttest averages of Child Behavior Checklist for children aged 2-3 and 4-6 were compared, internalizing, externalizing, and overall scores decreased significantly after sensory-motor perception and movement training (p<0.05). In conclusion, children with developmental problems aged 2 to 6 who received sensory-motor, perception, and movement training showed significant decrease in anxiety levels, significant reduction in aggressive and destructive behavior, and significant improvement in fine- and gross-motor abilities as well as language and social skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasing number of developed nations adopting elements of the social model of disability, early childhood intervention practice has evolved to place greater emphasis on an inclusive, ecological, and strength-based framework. Recent music therapy literature seems to align with this shift in policy and demonstrates how family-centered strategies can be promoted in homes. Although music therapy researchers have conducted studies in kindergartens and childcares, which are also fundamental naturalistic settings for children with disabilities, the overall breadth and nature of practice in these settings is unclear and has not been collated. This scoping review aims to identify the key characteristics of music therapy research in preschool settings that include children with disabilities, subsequently identifying key publication details, participants, therapeutic aims, outcome measures, study designs, preschool settings, delivery models, and choice of music therapy methods. A total of 19 peer-reviewed journal articles from 1988 to 2020 met inclusion and exclusion criteria, with more than half of the studies published during the last 15 years. Evaluation of these 19 studies reveals how funding policies and educational systems seem to inherently inform the application of music therapy research in early learning centers. Developmental perspectives and objectivist study designs underpin many of the included sources, with majority of the outcomes demonstrating music therapy's positive impact upon a child's development. Researchers outside of the United States should give greater focus to early childhood and collect data from preschools within their respective countries to broaden awareness on how music therapy can support children with disabilities in naturalistic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe gastrointestinal symptoms are one of the main reasons for switching from conventional artificial tube feeding to blenderized tube feeding (BTF). This study aimed to describe and quantify the impact of BTF on gastrointestinal symptoms in children and adults. We analyzed four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar). The review was performed following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The methodological quality of articles was assessed following the NIH quality assessment tools. The initial search yielded 535 articles and, after removing duplicates and off-topic articles, 12 met the inclusion criteria. All included papers unanimously converged in defining an improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms during blenderized feeding: the eight studies involving pediatric cohorts report a decrease from 30 to over 50% in gagging and retching after commencing BTF. Similar rates are reported for constipation and diarrhea improvement in most critically ill adults. Experimental studies and particularly randomized controlled trials are needed to develop robust evidence on the effectiveness of BTF in gastrointestinal symptom improvement with prolonged follow-up and adequate medical monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim is to evaluate the quality of life of families with disabled children in the Tokat and to determine the factors affecting the quality of life. Methods: The parents of 134 disabled children aged 6-14 years and the parents of 136 healthy children in the same age group living in the Tokat formed the universe of this cross-sectional and descriptive study. The socio-demographic data form, and the WHOQOL-BREF, was applied to the participants by the face-to-face method by the researchers. Results: It was seen that the most mental disability (54.4%) was in children. Parents with a disabled child were statistically significantly lower than control group (p < 0.001). Regarding the quality of life of parents with disabled children was compared, the average score of the mothers in the mental (p=0.029), social (p=0.003), and environmental (p=0.038) life quality scale was statistically significantly lower than the average score of the fathers. Conclusion: In our study, it was determined that the quality of life of mothers and fathers with disabled children was significantly lower in physical, mental, social and environmental areas compared to mothers and fathers with healthy children. Comprehensive studies are needed to define the factors affecting the quality of life of individuals with disabilities and their families, and to determine supports in the light of changing living standards and expectations with developing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe gastrointestinal symptoms are one of the main reasons for switching from conventional artificial tube feeding to blenderized tube feeding (BTF). This study aimed to describe and quantify the impact of BTF on gastrointestinal symptoms in children and adults. We analyzed four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar). The review was performed following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The methodological quality of articles was assessed following the NIH quality assessment tools. The initial search yielded 535 articles and, after removing duplicates and off-topic articles, 12 met the inclusion criteria. All included papers unanimously converged in defining an improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms during blenderized feeding: the eight studies involving pediatric cohorts report a decrease from 30 to over 50% in gagging and retching after commencing BTF. Similar rates are reported for constipation and diarrhea improvement in most critically ill adults. Experimental studies and particularly randomized controlled trials are needed to develop robust evidence on the effectiveness of BTF in gastrointestinal symptom improvement with prolonged follow-up and adequate medical monitoring.

In this issue introduction, the editor-in-chief of Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews comments on the social isolation experienced by families that include children with significant disabilities.

Background: Dental caries is the most common dental problem among the mentally challenged children. There are various extra-oral factors responsible for high caries experience among such children. Aim: The aim of the present investigation was to study the impact of various extra-oral factors on dental caries experience among mentally challenged children residing in Bhopal city, Central India. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty-two children between the age group 5 and 15 years were included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. A pretested pro forma was used to record information about socioeconomic status, demographic data, mental retardation (MR) type, and intelligent quotient. The clinical examination was performed to evaluate dental caries and treatment needs using the World Health Organization dentition status and treatment needs index. Results: The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT and dmft) were 2.32 and 2.21, respectively. Age, parent occupation, income, and intelligent quotient were significant predictors of both DMFT and dmft. In addition, socio-economic status and type of MR were significant predictors of only DMFT. Conclusion: Dental health professionals should, therefore, be aware of the various extra-oral factors responsible for high caries experience of mentally challenged children. They should understand and provide basic treatment needs to such children.

Introduction: Dental trauma (DT) has become an important attribute of dental public health. However, in the disabled population, the risks and consequences of DT have been barely studied. Aim: The aim was to assess and compare the prevalence of DT among disabled children and adolescents studying in special needs schools in the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad, India. Materials and Methods: About 714 children and adolescents who were classified as visual impairment, speech and hearing (SH) disability, physical disability, mentally subnormal and multiple disabilities (MD) and in the age group of 4-19 years, studying in 14 special needs schools of Hubli-Dharwad were included. DT was recorded based on Ellis and Davey′s classification. Association between the trauma prevalence and disability types were analyzed using Chi-square test. Results: The prevalence of DT was found to be 28.6%. MD children sustained highest trauma (40.90%) and SH children experienced lowest trauma (18%). Statistically significant association was found between trauma prevalence and gender, geographic location, anterior teeth protrusion and lip coverage. Maxillary central incisors were most affected, and Ellis class 1 fracture was the most common type of traumatic injury. None of the children had undergone any treatment for DT. Conclusions: This should alert caregivers to carry out intense investigation of the events, and there is a need to take up preventive measures by dental professionals and public health authorities to reduce this type of morbidity.

Background There is widespread acceptance that parents should be fully involved in decisions about their son or daughter's health and social care. This is reflected in partnership models of practice as well as local and national policy across the United Kingdom. Previous research indicates that parents' experiences of decision making with professionals are mixed. Aim The research reported here aimed to explore parents' experiences of participating in decisions made with professionals about their disabled son or daughter's care. Design This research used mixed methods including survey methodology and qualitative in depth interviews. Setting and participants The research was conducted in one Trust in Northern Ireland. Participants were 77 parents of children and young people with a range of impairments aged between 3 and 28 years. Results Three themes emerged from the data: taking the lead, not knowing, and getting the balance right. Parents wanted to be involved in all aspects of decision making. Although parents reported many examples of good practice, there were also times when they did not feel listened to or did not have enough information to inform decisions. Discussion and conclusion Parents in this research recounted positive as well as negative experiences. Parents took on a protective role when decisions were made about their son or daughter and at times, reported the need to 'fight' for their child. The provision of information remains problematic for these families, and at times, this created a barrier to parents' participation in decision making. Partnership approaches to care that recognize parents' expertise are particularly important to parents when decisions are made with professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People in the early modern period had long been fascinated by 'monstrous births' as portents, prodigies and scientific marvels, but during the eighteenth century attention began to turn to the 'problem' of children growing up with physical or sensory impairments. During the second half of the century, against the backdrop of increasing professional interest in child health, the sentimentalisation of childhood and growing concerns about the costs of a dependent 'useless' population, 'imperfect' children became publicly visible as targets for medical, philanthropic and pedagogical intervention. Using newspapers, child rearing and medical texts, this article examines causes of, and responses to, childhood impairment. While impaired children were often viewed as a 'burden', growing confidence in methods for restoring them to 'utility' began to set apart children with impairments from other people with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the institutional problems of parents of children with disabilities. Existing practices regarding children with disabilities resulting from the legal framework in the country, often аreincongruentwith the principles enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other fundamental international documents on human rights. Children, accommodated in institutions,as well as children raised in families suffer from discrimination and outdated social attitudes. There are many state institutions related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in various services, but there is no coordination between them. The gathering of full information on health, education and social issues is left entirely in the hands of parents and professionals who they visit. Most often, families communicate about various opportunities with each other. There is no unified state concept for information and support to families and covering all children with problems. Ensuring access of children with disabilities to adequate health, social and educational services tailored to their needs in the most early age is a long-term social investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This research was conducted to determine the anxiety levels and coping strategies of the parents who have handicapped children. Methods: Study population included the of parents of 1163 handicapped children who were from 15 rehabilitation centers in a city of, which are working in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education. Of all 405 parents who included in the study and who had handicapped children were reached. Constant State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Coping Strategies Scale and an information form used for the data collection. Study variables were presented as means and percentages. Data was analyzed with the use of chi-square test, student’s t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: Mothers constitutes 78.5 % and fathers 21.5% of the study population. The parents mean age 38.0± 9.1 years. It was found that 42.2% of the handicapped children was in 7-14 year age-group, 55.3% of the handicapped children was boy and 57 % was in mentally handicapped category. Conclusions: According to these results a statistically important difference was identified between the age , marital status, economic condition, education of the parents who have handicapped children, the age of the handicapped child and anxiety level. A relation was identified between handicapped children’s parents status of being acknowledge by the neighbourhood, receiving psychiatric support, the status of sharing distress and anxiety levels. According to the results of the present work the level of the coping with distress was higher in the parents having handicapped child, who receive psychological and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dental caries is the most common dental problem among the mentally challenged children. There are various extra-oral factors responsible for high caries experience among such children.Aim: The aim of the present investigation was to study the impact of various extra-oral factors on dental caries experience among mentally challenged children residing in Bhopal city, Central India.Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty-two children between the age group 5 and 15 years were included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. A pretested pro forma was used to record information about socioeconomic status, demographic data, mental retardation (MR) type, and intelligent quotient. The clinical examination was performed to evaluate dental caries and treatment needs using the World Health Organization dentition status and treatment needs index.Results: The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT and dmft) were 2.32 and 2.21, respectively. Age, parent occupation, income, and intelligent quotient were significant predictors of both DMFT and dmft. In addition, socio-economic status and type of MR were significant predictors of only DMFT.Conclusion: Dental health professionals should, therefore, be aware of the various extra-oral factors responsible for high caries experience of mentally challenged children. They should understand and provide basic treatment needs to such children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes part of a mixed-method study investigating family and professional perspectives on home adaptations for disabled children. The methods were an online survey of staff involved in adaptations processes (n=39), semi-structured interviews with families with disabled children (n= 48) and an online survey for families (n= 16). One of the wider study’s recommendations was that families need to be enabled to engage with processes proactively. This article focuses on families’ experiences of the meaning attributed to adapting the home and highlights that, although satisfied with the completed adaptation, families were dissatisfied with the process they had been through. Thus, despite the need for the meaning of home being central to the adaptation process, families felt excluded from the process as it progressed. This had a negative impact on the continuing use of the adaptation and affected the meaning of home for families with a disabled child. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article will present some salient issues affecting the human rights of most vulnerable segments of the Ghanaian population, namely, children, women, the disabled, and the elderly. On different levels the provision of welfare services for these subgroups is inadequate. This article will outline these services and the unique set of problems and issues besetting each group. Economic constraints and lack of commitment to good governance, common in developing countries, are obstacles to the advancement, human rights, and social protection of these groups. This article will examine the implications for adopting social development models and concepts for improving the social and human rights conditions of these vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing expectation that children, young people and their parents should participate in decisions that affect them. This includes decisions about their health and social care and collective or public decisions about the way in which such services are designed, delivered and evaluated. Indeed this has become a policy priority across the United Kingdom. The participation of disabled children and young people, however, has been slow to develop in the United Kingdom and concerns have been expressed about progress in this area. Drawing on the results of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded, mixed-methods study, the aim of this article is to explore the participation of disabled children and young people through a social justice lens. Participants, recruited by purposeful sampling, included 18 disabled children and young people, 77 parents and 90 professionals from one health and social care trust in Northern Ireland. There were four phases of data collection: surveys to parents and professionals, parent interviews, interviews with children and young people using creative and participatory techniques, and a focus group with professionals. Results showed that for most disabled children and young people, decision-making was firmly grounded in a family-centred model. However, when children and young people were drawn into participatory processes by adults and recognised as partners in interactions with professionals, they wanted more say and were more confident about expressing their views. Choices, information and resources were at times limited and this had a key impact on participation and the lives of these children, young people and their parents. The article concludes by exploring implications for further research and practice. The need for a two-pronged, social justice approach is recommended as a mechanism to advance the participation agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently there appears to be few opportunities and little evidence of physically disabled children and young people (C&YP) participating in mainstream social activities. A qualitative review was undertaken to examine the factors affecting physically disabled C&YP (8–15 years) in the United Kingdom participating in out-of-school activities. Views and experiences were explored from the perspective of the service users and providers to assess current provision and to determine the need for future research into factors that may affect participation. Searches were conducted across eight databases, the references of the included studies were checked and the websites were searched. Studies that used a qualitative design that examined the views relating to out-of-school activities were included. Nine papers were identified, which included three peer-reviewed papers and six pieces of grey literature and pertinent government documents to include views and experiences of out-of-school activity provision. The main themes emerging from the review were the need for social inclusion, out-of-school activities run by volunteers and accessibility, with threads throughout, which require further research including parental influence, provision, training and attitudes. This review highlights the absence of the service user’s voice and sheds light on the limited provision and barriers affecting participation in out-of-school activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2007, the 'Aiming High' programme set out to improve outcomes for children with disabilities in the UK. There continues to be a plethora of legislation, acts, guidance and changes in practice but is there any evidence of real change for children with a disability? This article aims to discuss whether the current Children and Families Bill will be the legislation that finally does make a significant difference and facilitate improved interagency working, quicker care plans and simplified and safe transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is ample scientific evidence indicating that the participation of family members in interventions conducted with children is of critical importance. However, little information about the effectiveness of different strategies to increase parental involvement is available in the Brazilian research literature in Physiotherapy, even though family involvement is also of crucial importance in the treatment of children with neurological problems. In this paper, we identify ways of involving parents that are reported in the areas of Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Music Education and Psychology (social skills training). Possibilities for adapting these strategies for use in Physiotherapy settings are discussed, so that professionals and managers of institutions that offer rehabilitation services could broaden their use of mechanisms to promote family participation, maximizing the results of rehabilitation treatment for children. In future studies, it will be important to evaluate the viability and effectiveness of adopting these strategies in Physiotherapy settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Need for the study: Oral health is an integral part of general health, which has a direct bearing on the quality of life by affecting the physical and mental wellbeing. Maintaining optimal oral health becomes even more important for children with disabilities than their normal counterparts because of their reduced manual dexterity. Oral diseases are alarmingly higher in this segment of the population which is often neglected. Unmet oral health needs unfortunately is also higher. The present study was carried out to evaluate barriers to access oral health care by the disabled children. Study Design: 149 caregivers were interviewed and 158 dental professionals were interviewed for their perceived barriers to access oral health care through a questionnaire. The caregivers were questioned in institutions and the dental professionals in their clinical setup. A logistic regression model was developed to assess barriers to dental care. Results: The principal barriers to access care by the caregivers of disabled children were location of the dental clinic (69.79%) and expensive treatment procedure (75.83%). The main constraints faced by the dental professional to treat them are lack of adequate training (68.35%) and shortage of staff (62.02%). Conclusion: Disabled children are that segment of the population who have limited access to dental care in spite of extensive unmet needs. A collaborative effort by various disciplines coupled by extensive training is the need of the hour to address this urgent issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research into the use of an online distance-learning course to teach practitioners and caregivers how to use behavioral intervention (BI) for children with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). BI has been shown to be an effective means of preventing maladaptive behavior and teaching appropriate social skills to children with ASD. BI utilizes methods including the use of prompts, differential reinforcement and error correction. Research results indicated a high degree of feasibility and learner satisfaction with the online course offering.

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In the Eastern European countries included in the communist system of the USSR, parents of disabled children were encouraged to commit their disabled child to institutional care. There were strict legal regulations excluding them from schools. Medical assessments were used for care decisions. Nevertheless many parents decided to care for their disabled child at home within the family. Ukraine became an independent country in 1991, when communism was replaced by liberal democracy within a free market system. Western solutions have been sought for many social problems existing; but 'hidden,' under the old regime. For more of the parents of disabled children, this has meant embracing ideas of caring for their disabled children in the community, and providing for their social, educational, and medical needs, which have previously been denied. The issue of disability is a serious one for Ukraine where the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in 1986 caused extensive radiation poisoning. This almost certainly led to an increase in the number of disabled children being born and an increase in the incidence of various forms of cancer. This paper is based on a series of observation visits to some of the many self-help groups established by parents, usually mothers, for their disabled children. It draws attention to the emotional stress experienced both by parents and their disabled children in the process of attempting to come to terms with the disabling conditions, and the denial of the normal rights of childhood resulting from prejudice, poor resources, ignorance, and restrictive legislation. Attempts have been made to identify the possible role and tasks of professional social workers within this context. International comparisons show that many parents and their children do not benefit from the medical model of disability, and that serious consequences include the development of depressive illness among those who find that little help is available from public services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to describe how pupils with restricted mobility perceive their school environment with regard to physical-technical and psychological-social accessibility. Ten pupils with restricted mobility in the age range 7-12 years (five boys and five girls) were included in the study. These pupils attended ten different schools (four pupils at junior primary school and six pupils at senior primary school). As an instrument, parts of BAS (assessment of adaptations in school environments), a semistructured interview guide, were used. Content analysis of the interview transcripts was carried out and could be clustered in five main themes: inner environment, outer environment, teaching situation, social contacts with peers, and relations towards personnel. The results showed that even though the interviewed pupils considered that the physical-technical school environment was generally satisfactory, it still led to the pupils being excluded from certain contexts, both teaching and play contexts. Problems with physical accessibility resulted in the pupils losing valuable opportunities for contacts and relations with friends, i.e. shortcomings in the physical environment had social consequences. The psychological-social environment was also generally perceived as being free of problems, with the exception that the interviewed pupils stated that they were sometimes teased because of their disability. The conclusion can be drawn that disability is something that occurs between the individual and his or her physical-technical and psychological-social something that occurs between the individual and his or her physical-technical and psychological-social environments, which to a certain extent can be remedied by making changes to these environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]