Prevalence of cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, hearing loss, and blindness, National Health Interview Survey, 2009-2016.
Dana Olzenak McGuire, Lin H Tian, Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp and 2 others
PMID 30713095WHAT IT FOUND
National parent-reported estimates show cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, moderate-to-severe hearing loss, and blindness in US children.
Intellectual disability estimates changed after wording changed; other estimates were stable.
Key findings
01During 2009-2016, overall estimates were 3.2 children with cerebral palsy, 11.1 with intellectual disability, 6.4 with moderate-to-severe hearing loss, and 1.6 with blindness per 1000 children ages 3-17 years.
02Intellectual disability estimates were 7.4 per 1000 when the question used mental retardation in 2009-2010, then 12.7 per 1000 in 2011-2013 and 11.9 per 1000 in 2014-16 after wording changed; no time trends were seen for other disabilities.
03Very low birthweight was associated with more than a threefold higher prevalence of all outcomes, with intellectual disability and moderate-to-severe hearing loss 3-4 times more common and cerebral palsy and blindness 16-25 times more common than normal birthweight.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The estimates rely on parent recall and interpretation of questions about diagnosis and function. The survey had limited statistical power for subgroup prevalence, co-occurrence, and time trends. Questions did not capture severity for most disabilities, so functional impact is unclear. The sample covers non-institutionalized children, so more severe disabilities may be missed. Intellectual disability wording changed, so apparent increases may reflect reporting rather than true prevalence. Birthweight was parent-reported and may be less accurate than records.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher intellectual disability estimates after the wording change as proof that disability is becoming more common. The paper says the survey wording changed from mental retardation to intellectual disability, and this likely affected parent reporting.