ERIC Number: ED214634
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1982-Jan
Pages: 28
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Handicaps and Developmental Disabilities. Matrix No. 10.
Prensky, Arthur L.
This paper summarizes the recent advances achieved by research in the area of developmental disabilities, and discusses directions for future research in this area. Approximately 8 to 10 per cent of the pediatric population suffers from one or more developmental disabilities. The most common of these are learning disabilities, which include some behavioral problems, such as attention deficit disorders. Cerebral palsy, mental retardation, epilepsy, and autism are other disabilities that occur frequently in the pediatric population. Recently, there have been remarkable advances in understanding the cause of some developmental disabilities, notably epilepsy, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy. However, knowledge about other disabilities, such as learning disabilities and autism, is still very limited. Future progress in the diagnosis and treatment of developmental disabilities depends upon (1) an increased understanding of the causes of this disorder; (2) prevention of the occurrence or a decrease in the severity of developmental disabilities by treatment of their causes; (3) an increased understanding of the pathophysiology of the symptoms and signs that constitute a developmental disability; and (4) a realization that, in many instances, the symptoms and signs themselves can be treated by understanding their pathophysiology and without reference to their etiology. (Author/MP)
Descriptors: Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Clinical Diagnosis, Developmental Disabilities, Disease Incidence, Epilepsy, High Risk Persons, Learning Disabilities, Mental Retardation, Research Needs, Therapy
Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, P.O. Box 1182, Washington, DC 20013 (no price quoted).
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (DHHS), Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Research Forum on Children and Youth (Washington, DC, May 18-19, 1981). For related documents, see ED 213 518-526, PS 012 713-715, PS 012 718, and PS 012 722-725.