Almost twice as many boys as girls in Australia had a
disability, according to a report released today by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Around 9.6% of boys and 5.4% of girls aged 0-14 years had a
disability in 1998. For severe disability, the corresponding
figures were 4.9% for boys and 2.5% for girls.
The Children with Disabilities in Australia report is
the first comprehensive overview of childhood disability in
Australia. It uses several information sources to focus on children
aged 0-14 years, covering the characteristics of children with
disabilities, their needs and circumstances, and the services,
benefits and assistance provided to them and their families.
Approximately 7.6% of children aged 0-14 (296,400 children) were
estimated to have a disability in 1998, and of these about 3.7%
(144,300 children) were described as having a severe
disability.
AIHW report co-author Louise York says that 3.7% of all the
children in this age group had a physically-related disability, and
3.7% had an intellectual or learning disability.
The report found that almost all children with disabilities were
taken care of at home. Care was primarily given by mothers, who
made up 85% of all primary carers. Fathers comprised 10% of primary
carers.
'We found that over half of these family members spent more than
40 hours a week giving direct care to their child,' Ms York
said.
'And the mothers, especially, of children with a disability
experienced more stress than other mothers, reflecting the time and
emotional commitment involved in raising a child with such high
support needs.'
Ms York said that financial stress was also a factor, with
research conducted in Australia, the UK and the USA showing a
strong association between childhood disability and low family
income.
When asked to nominate the area of greatest need for support,
primary carers were most likely to identify financial assistance
(38%), more respite care (27%) or more emotional support (12%).
A range of government and community formal support services are
available to families of children with a disability, including
income support, respite care, therapy, aids and equipment services,
and housing and crisis accommodation services. A large proportion
of government support services are provided through the
Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA).
Assistance is also provided through the education system,
particularly through special schools. But overwhelmingly the trend
is towards mainstreaming of children with disabilities within the
education system.
In 2002, 81% of children with disabilities attending government
schools and 91% of children with disabilities attending
non-government schools attended mainstream rather than special
schools.
16 December 2004
Further information: Louise York, AIHW tel. 02
6244 1271 or 0418 295 409,
or Samantha Bricknell, AIHW tel. 02 6244 1138
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Children with Disabilities in
Australia, December 2004.