ABSTRACT
Spina bifida is a congenital anomaly that occurs 1.5 to 4 times per 1,000 live births. There are between 6,000–8,000 children born each year with spina bifida in the United States (Swinyard, 1978). Children with spina bifida comprise the second largest group of physically handicapped children in England's special schools (Anderson, 1973). Children with spina bifida often have four coexisting sets of impairments: paralysis or weakness below the level of lesion (usually resulting in a paraplegia or other form of mobility impairment), loss of skin sensation below the level of lesion, incontinence of bowel and bladder, and hydrocephalus in 65–75% of the cases (Swinyard, Chaube & Nishimura, 1978). It is not surprising that during the first 9 years of life that the child with spina bifida will spend an average of 28 weeks receiving inpatient medical treatment (Tew & Laurence, 1976) and that the typical family will spend about $20,000 on medical care during the child's first 8 years of life (Gordon, Swinyard, Chaube. & Mesch, 1978). Thus, spina bifida is a chronic health condition that is not only prevalent but one with massive economic consequences as well.
