Citation

Schwebel DC, Brezausek CM. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2010; 35(1): 45-50.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology and Center for Educational Accountability, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsp033

PMID

19386769

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric injuries result from a multifaceted process involving a range of individual, interpersonal, and environmental influences. One risk that remains poorly understood is the role of children's perception and perceptual disabilities. METHODS: Injury counts (parent-report of injuries requiring professional medical treatment over the past year) in three groups of children were compared: those without vision or hearing sensory impairments, those with deficits who use eyeglasses or hearing aids, and those with deficits who do not use aids as recommended. A national sample of 7391 5-year-olds in the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study was studied. RESULTS: Injury counts over the past year were higher among children with sensory impairments, and higher still among children with sensory impairments who did not use prescribed sensory aids. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of increased injury risk among children with hearing and vision impairment could help professionals protect children from injury.

Language: en