The Children’s Orthopedic Hospital: A Survey of the Intelligence of Crippled Children

Abstract

A survey of the patients in the Children's Orthopedic Hospital of Seattle was made for the purpose of ascertaining to what degree the intelligence of crippled children compared to the intelligence of un selected children in physical health. The survey was made in the fall of 1929. The information was obtained from three sources: (1) the public school teachers of the Children's Orthopedic Hospital; (2) a group of physicians in Seattle; and (3) intelligence tests of 148 patients in this hospital. The test used was the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, and was given by experienced examiners from the Child Study Laboratory of the Seattle Public Schools. The group of children was classified according to diagnosis. Four divisions were made: (1) poliomyelitis, including all cases of infantile paralysis; (2) spastic paralysis of birth including infantile spastic paralysis and Perthe's disease; (3) tuberculosis of the knee, hip, ankle, etc.; and (4) a miscellaneous group containing (a) nutritional disorders, rickets, etc.; (b) infections not involved in the central nervous system: osteomyelitis, syphilis, empyema, appendiceal abscess; (c) traumatic dis orders including dislocations, fractures, traumatic club feet; (d) cases of central nervous involvement, such as chorea, and post encephalitis; (3) cases of tumor, malignant (sarcoma and carcinoma) and benign (tumor of spine and brain tumor). The intelligence test results of the patients were obtained from Dr. Frances Gaw, director of the Child Study Laboratory of the Seattle Public Schools. A diagnosis of each case was submitted by Miss Ruby Fall, historian of the Children's Orthopedic Hospital. From these sta tistics the following facts were found : 1. The intelligence level of this group as a whole is appreciably below that of the unselected group of physically healthy children. The