Grading severity of childhood disablement: comparing survey measures with a paediatrician's assessment

This study investigates the relationship between a paediatrician's assessment of the overall severity of disablement in a sample of 10-year-old children and the survey data on which this assessment was based. An attempt was made to identify disabilities or combinations of disabilities which were good predictors of the paediatrician's assessment. It was possible to do this with some success with children assessed as severely disabled but it was much more difficult to do so where the degree of disablement was assessed as mild or moderate. The implications of these findings for the assessment of children with disabilities which are less than severe are discussed.