Young Children with Orthopedic Handicaps: Self-Knowledge about Their Disability

Abstract

Thirty children, age 36 to 83 months, were interviewed to ascertain the extent of their awareness of their orthopedic disability. Parent and teacher interviews were conducted to determine types and frequencies of discussions about the child's disability. Results supported previous findings that age of the child was significantly correlated with a child's awareness of differences and disability. However, additional findings indicated that occurrence of discussions on disabilities at home, but not at school, was significantly correlated with awareness. Implications of the findings for home and school discussions are discussed.