Global prevalence of developmental disabilities in children and adolescents: A systematic umbrella review

Abstract

AimThe provisions of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for disability-inclusive education have stimulated a growing interest in ascertaining the prevalence of children with developmental disabilities globally. We aimed to systematically summarize the prevalence estimates of developmental disabilities in children and adolescents reported in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.MethodsFor this umbrella review we searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library for systematic reviews published in English between September 2015 and August 2022. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility, extracted the data, and assessed risk of bias. We reported the proportion of the global prevalence estimates attributed to country income levels for specific developmental disabilities. Prevalence estimates for the selected disabilities were compared with those reported in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019.ResultsBased on our inclusion criteria, 10 systematic reviews reporting prevalence estimates for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, developmental intellectual disability, epilepsy, hearing loss, vision loss and developmental dyslexia were selected from 3,456 identified articles. Global prevalence estimates were derived from cohorts in high-income countries in all cases except epilepsy and were calculated from nine to 56 countries. Sensory impairments were the most prevalent disabilities (approximately 13%) and cerebral palsy was the least prevalent disability (approximately 0.2–0.3%) based on the eligible reviews. Pooled estimates for geographical regions were available for vision loss and developmental dyslexia. All studies had a moderate to high risk of bias. GBD prevalence estimates were lower for all disabilities except cerebral palsy and intellectual disability.ConclusionAvailable estimates from systematic reviews and meta-analyses do not provide representative evidence on the global and regional prevalence of developmental disabilities among children and adolescents due to limited geographical coverage and substantial heterogeneity in methodology across studies. Population-based data for all regions using other approaches such as reported in the GBD Study are warranted to inform global health policy and intervention.

Impact of income and financial subsidies on oral health care utilization among persons with disabilities in Singapore

“…Intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) are disorders that present early in life and adversely affect the trajectory of the individual's physical, intellectual and/or emotional development 1 . Globally, an estimated 240 million children have developmental disabilities, 2 and about 2.6% (200 million) 3 of the world's population have an intellectual disability (IQ below 70). In Singapore, approximately 2.1% of students are estimated to have IDD, with 1 in 150 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 4 .…”

The Unmasking of Autism in South Africa and Nigeria

“…It is estimated that approximately 95% of autistic individuals live in low-middle income countries (LMICs). 3 , 4 Research has indicated a high number of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in LMICs, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa, with the prevalence increasing. 4 The increasing numbers are attributed to improved diagnostic testing and the growing number of children surviving their first 5 years.…”

“… 3 , 4 Research has indicated a high number of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in LMICs, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa, with the prevalence increasing. 4 The increasing numbers are attributed to improved diagnostic testing and the growing number of children surviving their first 5 years. Moreover, Nigeria is one of the top ten countries with the highest prevalence of children with specific developmental disabilities under 5 years of age.…”

“…Moreover, Nigeria is one of the top ten countries with the highest prevalence of children with specific developmental disabilities under 5 years of age. 4 While, research on autism in Africa is growing, existing knowledge and available information remains limited, with an estimated 1% of autism research coming from sub-Saharan Africa. 3 This underrepresentation is an important consideration because of the disparities in identification and support for autistic individuals and their families in LMIC.…”

Reliability and acceptability of web‐based administration of Spanish ages and stages questionnaires third edition®

“…It is estimated that 1 in 5 to 6 children has some DD, with an overall significant increase in the prevalence between 2009 and 2017 (Ricardo‐Garcell et al, 2022; Zablotsky et al, 2019). According to Olusanya et al the global prevalence of developmental intellectual disability was 3.1% (95% CI: 2.3–3.8), autism spectrum disorder 0.4% (95% CI: 0.3–0.5) and cerebral palsy 0.6% (95% CI: 0.5–0.6) (Olusanya et al, 2023). Those disabilities are more prevalent in those children with biological risk factors such as prematurity (Allotey et al, 2018; Heyne et al, 2018; Kerstjens et al, 2012; Schonhaut et al, 2015).…”