Developmental disabilities impact the quality of life of affected children. Children with mental retardation (MR) require special medical and educational services throughout their lifespan. There is limited population-based surveillance of developmental disabilities, generally, and MR, specifically.
We utilized the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP) to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of children with MR in a large, multiracial population. MADDSP is an active population-based surveillance system that gathers data from multiple sources. For this study, we defined MR (IQ < 70) as mild (IQ 50-70) or severe (IQ < 50).
The average annual prevalence rate for MR for 1991-1994 was 12.0/1,000 children 6-10 years old. Sixty-five percent of case children had mild MR. Rates of MR differed significantly by both sex and race. Males had a significantly higher rate of MR (14.2/1,000 children) than females (9.7/1,000 children), and there was a higher rate of MR in black (19.0/1,000) than white children (7.8/1,000). This same pattern was found for both mild and severe MR. Eighty-eight percent of the children with mild MR did not have co-existing disabilities, whereas 44% of the children with severe MR had one or more co-existing disability.
Data from surveillance programs can be used to monitor prevalence rates and trends. Systems like MADDSP inform educators and health care providers about the numbers and characteristics of children with developmental disabilities. Further, this type of data can be utilized by such professionals to better predict the service needs of children with developmental disabilities.
Learning Objectives: 1. Recognize the importance of surveillance for developmental disabilities. 2. Describe the prevalence of mental retardation from 1991-1994 in Metropolitan Atlanta. 3. Discuss the implications of the prevalence rates of mental retardation over a four year period.
Keywords: Surveillance, Children With Special Needs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.