Care needs of children with disabilities – Use of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory

Objective

To describe the care needs reported by caregivers of children with disabilities going through the school inclusion process using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory.

Methods

Cross-sectional study with 181 children aged 7–10 years with physical or mental disabilities, undergoing the inclusion process in elementary school in 2007. Location: 31 schools of the Regional Education Board–District of Penha, East Side the city of São Paulo. The children's care needs according to the caregivers were assessed in three areas–self-care, mobility and social function, using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, according to the following score: 5, Independent; 4, Supervision; 3, Minimum Assistance; 2, Moderate Assistance; 1, Maximum Assistance and 0, Total Assistance. For statistical analysis, we used Student's t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA), with p<0.05 being statistically significant.

Results

The lower means, with statistically significant differences, were observed for the items related to social function (55.8–72.0), followed by self-care functions (56.0–96.5); for all types of disabilities, except for children with physical disabilities, who had lower means for self-care (56.0) and mobility (63.8).

Conclusions

Social function was the area referred to as the one that needed a higher degree of assistance from the caregiver and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory is a tool that can help identify these needs and develop a more targeted intervention.