Body Image of Handicapped Children

Abstract

Summary In an investigation of the body image of handicapped children, eight institutionalized children with spina bifida were compared with eight similarly afflicted children residing at home and attending a special day-school for handicapped children. A control group of eight normal children were matched for age and sex, as were the two handicapped groups. All Ss were within the normal range of intelligence. A make-a-person task was individually administered. The three-dimensional figures created by the Ss were duplicated in exact proportion on graph paper to facilitate measurement and to obtain pertinent data. Results indicate that the institutionalized group has a more distorted body image than that of either the group attending day-school or the normal group.