Physical disabilities
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Follow the links below to find trusted information about physical disabilities.
Last reviewed: May 2018
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Parenting with physical disability | Raising Children Network
This first-hand account describes parenting with physical disability the joys and challenges and where and how to get disability services and support.
Read more on Raising Children Network website
Parenting and Child Health - Health Topics - Physical disability
In the early years, children may have some difficulties in learning to move skilfully. This is not unusual. However, for some children, the muscles and nerves that control body movements may not be properly formed or may become damaged causing a physical disability.
Read more on Women's and Children's Health Network website
Facts about cerebral palsy | Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation
Download the Fact Sheets Key Facts Every 15 hours, an Australian child is born with cerebral palsy. It is the most common physical disability in childhood. Cerebral palsy is an...
Read more on Cerebral Palsy Alliance website
Parenting with a disability
Parents with a disability face the same issues as other parents but may require more support. Learn about the unique challenges and importance of help and support.
Read more on Pregnancy, Birth & Baby website
To communicate | Novita
What is communication? Everybody communicates every day, in lots of different ways
Read more on Novita Children's Services website
Cerebral palsy | Cerebral Palsy Alliance
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It is a permanent life-long condition, but generally does not worsen over time.
Read more on Cerebral Palsy Alliance website
Spina Bifida | The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network
Spina Bifida describes a group of spinal abnormalities that occurs within the first four weeks of a pregnancy when the baby’s developing spine (neural tube) fails to close properly.
Read more on Sydney Children's Hospitals Network website
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is a physical disability caused by damage to the brain before, during, or soon after birth.
Read more on Pregnancy, Birth & Baby website
Disability Support Pension - Australian Government Department of Human Services
Financial help if you have a permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition that stops you from working.
Read more on Centrelink website
Disability - Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
Read more on Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website
Top results
Psychosocial interventions for the prevention of disability following traumatic physical injury | Cochrane
Traumatic physical injury such as that resulting from road traffic accidents, falls and fires can cause high levels of subsequent disability in the person affected. This may include physical disability as a result of the initial injury and subsequent complications, mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the trauma of the event which caused the injury and the resulting physical and social problems, and social problems such as loss of social life and unemployment. It is therefore important to evaluate interventions which seek to prevent these adverse secondary outcomes. Psychosocial interventions, which include psychological therapies such as interpersonal counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and social interventions such as befriending, social support and self-help advice, delivered soon after the injury, may help to prevent these problems.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Prescribing psychotropic drugs to adults with an intellectual disability | Issue 4 | Volume 39 | Australian Prescriber
Mental illness is common in people with intellectual disability. They may also have physical health problems which can affect their mental state.
Read more on Australian Prescriber website
Studies urgently needed to assess effects of Personal Assistance for children and teens with both physical and intellectual impairments | Cochrane
Studies urgently needed to assess effects of Personal Assistance for children and teens with both physical and intellectual impairments
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Healthcare services for adults with an intellectual disability | Cochrane
Adults with an intellectual disability often have difficulty in receiving the healthcare they need. Compared to other adults who do not have an intellectual disability, they have poorer health and have more difficulty finding, getting to, and paying for healthcare. This happens for both physical and mental healthcare needs.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Disability support services: services provided under the National Disability Agreement 2011-12 (AIHW)
In 201112, Australian governments spent $6.9 billion on disability support services under the National Disability Agreementan increase of 10% from the previous year. More than 317,600 people used services during this timean increase of 1% from the previous year. The most common services users were people with intellectual, physical and psychiatric disabilities.
Read more on AIHW – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website
Spinal immobilisation for trauma patients | Cochrane
Spinal cord damage from injury causes long-term disability and can dramatically affect quality of life. The current practice of immobilising trauma patients before hospitalisation to prevent more damage may not always be necessary, as the likelihood of further damage is small. Means of immobilisation include holding the head in the midline, log rolling the person, the use of backboards and special mattresses, cervical collars, sandbags and straps. These can cause tissue pressure and discomfort, difficulty in swallowing and serious breathing problems.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Physical challenge
Wider health impacts for young people with a mental illness
Read more on Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health website
Non-drug management of breathing problems for children with severe physical and intellectual impairment | Cochrane
Non-drug management of breathing problems for children with severe physical and intellectual impairment
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Pharmacological interventions for epilepsy in people with intellectual disability | Cochrane
Epilepsy is a common condition. Approximately 3% of the general population are diagnosed with epilepsy at some point in their life (Rugg-Gunn 2012). However, epilepsy is significantly more common in people with intellectual disabilities where estimates range from 14% to 44% (Bowley 2000). People with intellectual disability and epilepsy often do not respond as well to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as the general population and behavioural disturbances are frequent. We review the use of AEDs in this population.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural therapies for treating aggressive behaviour in people with intellectual disabilities | Cochrane
Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural therapies for treating aggressive behaviour in people with intellectual disabilities
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
