Children with Disabilities in Israel

Disability studies in childhood have found prevalence figures ranging from 1.1 to 56.7 per 1000 children, which can be seen as variations in definitions used and populations studied. Studies from Israel in 1983 found a disability rate of 8.9 percent among 2- to 3-year-olds and 17.5 percent among 7-year-olds. Another study conducted during 1995-8 found a total disability rate of 12.8 percent, but 3.6 percent had a handicap not affecting the functioning of the child, 0.8 percent had a temporary problem and 0.7 percent only received treatment periodically, leaving a total of 7.7 percent with a chronic disability. These findings are compared to studies from Scandinavia and from the US and it is concluded that the prevalence of disability in childhood in Israel is similar to these countries.