In a study published in The Lancet, British scientists found that children with disabilities report themselves to be as satisfied with their lives as their peers. From the Independent (UK).

A study of 500 children with cerebral palsy in seven European countries has found that across a range of measures, including psychological wellbeing, self-perception and social support, their levels of satisfaction are as high as in other children.

… Professor Allan Colver of Newcastle University, who led the study … said it contained an important message for parents. “Parents can be upset when their child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy but they can now be reassured that most children with the condition who are capable of providing information at the age of eight to 12 have a similar quality of life to other children.”

… The findings reinforced the need for disabled children to be integrated into society, [Colver] added. “The change now needed concerns attitudes. Pity and sorrow should not be directed to disabled children because our findings indicate that they experience life as do non-disabled children. Maximum effort is needed to ensure their rights as citizens, rather than as disabled children, to participate in society as fully as other children. “

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 12th, 2007 at 6:32 pm and is filed under cerebral palsy, public attitudes, quality of life, research news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.