School adjustment of children with observable disabilities

This study investigated school behavior and achievement of children with mild degrees of observable physical disability. Children from two different disability types (cleft palate and cerebral palsy) were compared with each other and to a control group in order to determine potential similarities across disability types. Children (N=78) from each of the two disability groups were individually matched to each other and to a normal control group (N=39) by sex, IQ, socioeconomic status, age, and grade. They were compared on the basis of teachers' behavioral ratings and achievement test scores. All children attended regular public school classrooms. The two disability groups displayed significantly greater inhibition of impulse and lower educational achievement than did the controls. The implication of similar school adjustment across mild but observable subtypes is discussed.Parts of this article were presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., September 1976. The study was supported in part by PHS Grant DE-00853, the National Institute of Dental Research.