Future of Children Journal

Abstract:

This issue of The Future of Children explores childhood disability- its prevalence, nature, treatment, and consequences. Public discussion of childhood disability, by the media, parents, scholars, and advocates alike, tends to emphasize particular causes of disability, such as autism, asthma, cystic fibrosis, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this volume, however, we focus not on individual disabilities, but rather on cross-cutting themes that apply more broadly to the issue of children with disabilities. The themes are related to defining disability; the growing importance of mental relative to physical health; the importance of families; and the fragmentation of services for children with disabilities.