[Prevalence rate of the severely mentally and physically disabled children in Gunma Prefecture]

Children were studied on distribution of the severely mentally and physically disabled aged 6 to 15 years in Gunma Prefecture as of September 1, 1991. They were all bedridden or able to sit, but could not stand or walk, even with support. Today, all the Japanese should attend elementary school as well as junior high school. Even though they are severely disabled, they are all registered by the regional Board of Education, where we could get exact data on the disabled children throughout Gunma Prefecture. We collaborated with the regional Board of Education, the Child Consultation Center of Gunma Prefecture and 6 hospitals for the disabled. A total of 129 cases were found. The population of schoolboys and schoolgirls aged 6 to 15 years of age was 236,000, most of whose guardians were residents of this prefecture, and the prevalence rate was 0.55/1000. Among 129 cases, 53 cases (41.1%) were institutionalized and 76 cases (58.9%) were cared for at home. Fifty-nine cases (45.7%) were males and 70 cases (54.3%) were females. Thirty-four cases were aged 6 to 7 years (26.4%) and older cases declined probably due to premature deaths. Ninety-four of the 129 cases (72.9%) were bedridden and mentally retarded with IQs 20 or less.