Psychological concomitants of amputation in children.

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Most studies reported in the literature of orthopedically disabled children have been based upon heterogeneous groups and often treated as if they were unitary. In a single study of the orthopedically handicapped be found poliomyelitis, scoliosis, osteomyelitis, cerebral palsy, amputation, and other cases. While for many purposes conceptualizing these varied disabilities under one heading is justifiable, sometimes the characteristics and consequences of a particular disability are neglected. This be because of our emphasis upon the generality of the psychological effects of disability and a reluctance to impart specificity to the concomitants of individual type handicaps. For these reasons, and because in the past large numbers of child amputees have been unavailable for psychological study, there have not been any reports concerned solely with amputee children. Isolation of amputee children for special study is desirable for many reasons. Most important is that for the first time there is an organized national attempt to improve the prosthetic situation of the amputee child. Psychological insights which could help in the construction, design, prescription, and training in the use of prostheses would be of immediate value. In addition, data relevant to important theoretical problems as the development of body image, castration feelings, and dependency feelings may be elicited, as well as indications for the practical management of these children and their parents. Partially because of this lack of data, the Prosthetic Devices Studies of New York University, in cooperation with the Mary Free Bed Hospital at Grand Rapids, Michigan, did two clinical surveys of amputee children. Two reports published by New York University on the pros-