Preschool children in need of special support: prevalence of traditional disability categories and functional difficulties.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of children who are in need of special support in the total population of children attending preschools (CA 1-6) in two Swedish counties, and the functional problems exhibited by the children in relation to demographical and environmental factors in the preschool context.


METHODS
Survey distributed to (N = 1138) preschools in two Swedish counties.


RESULTS
The majority of children perceived by preschool teachers and in need of special support were undiagnosed children with functional difficulties related to speech, language and interaction with peers.


CONCLUSIONS
Undiagnosed and diagnosed children share the same type of difficulties. Thus, in estimating the prevalence of children in need of special support in a preschool context, traditional disability categories capture only a small proportion of the children experiencing difficulties. Therefore, a functional approach in studies of children in need of special support is recommended.
Lillvist
A
A
School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden. anne.lillvist@mdh.se
Granlund
M
M
D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004519:Education, Special; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities