Principal investigator: Germaine M. Buck Louis, Ph.D., M.S.
Developmental disabilities affect a large proportion of citizens in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 17 percent of children in the United States younger than the age of 18 have a developmental disability. A number of studies have found that children with disabilities are at increased risk of injury from child abuse and neglect. Some studies suggest that children with disabilities may suffer more unintentional injuries than other children; however, due to a number of factors (e.g., small size of some studies and limitations in study design) definitive data are unavailable. If children with disabilities are at increased risk of unintentional injury, it is important to know the specific cause(s) of injury (e.g., fall, motor vehicle crash, pedestrian injury, etc.) so that appropriate interventions and counseling can be provided. This study is a population-based surveillance that utilizes the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, part of the routine data collection efforts of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, to collect additional data on injured children seen in emergency departments. The purpose of this study is to determine if children with developmental disabilities are at increased risk of unintentional injury as compared to typically developing children.
DESPR Collaborators
· Ruth A. Brenner, M.D., M.P.H.
· Ronald J. Iannotti, Ph.D.
· Gitanjali Taneja, Ph.D.
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