142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Assistive Technology Needs and Difficulties in Activities of Daily Living among Children with Developmental Disabilities in the United States

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM

Sue Chienshy Lin, MS , Bureau of Primary Health Care, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Children with developmental disabilities (DD) may encounter challenges in physical mobility, learning, and communication that impact their development. Use of assistive technology (AT) can enhances their ability to be fully engaged in the home, at school, in activities of daily living, and within their communities. Using data from the 2009-2010 National Survey on Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN), the aims of the study are: 1) estimate the proportion of children with DD in the US whose assistive technology needs are met; 2) identify potential socio-demographic disparities among children with DD in the US for AT needs; and 3) explore the association between assistive technology needs and difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL). 

The final analytic sample of children with DD was N=15,576.  98% of their parents reported that their AT needs were met. The gender distribution was 67.7% and 32.3 % for male and female respectively. The race/ethnicity distribution was predominantly white at 62.3%.  Both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic black groups comprise of nearly 15% of the population.   96.9% of children with health insurance has their AT needs met. 93.4% of children whose AT needs are met reported difficulties in one or more ADL.   The findings present positive news that the majority of children with DD in US have their AT needs met.  This suggests that the provisions and continued implementation of federal legislations such as the Assistive Technology Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have supported the access to AT for children with DD.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe the sociodemographic distribution of children with developmental disabilities and their assistive technology needs Analyze the association between assistive technology needs and functional status of children with DD in US Discuss how the study finding reflect on the implementation of federal legislation related to assistive technology access and services

Keyword(s): Children With Special Needs, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Sue is currently a Senior Advisor at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and previously the extramural research program officer with grant portfolio on autism and other related developmental disabilities. Prior to HRSA, Sue has worked on research, education, and dissemination initiatives in public health and disabilities at the national and state level. Sue was formerly the rehabilitation engineer for Massachusetts and West Virginia.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4313.0: Improving The Quality Of Life Of People With Disabilities Through Assistive Technology