Education, Employment & Independance

 Education
Most people with spina bifida will fall within the 'normal' range of intelligence ance and will cope with mainstream schooling. Some children with spina bifida will do well in regular classrooms without any regular assistance, other than help with toileting . Some children, however, will have difficulty with fine motor skills and concentration and will need the assistance of a special needs teaching assistant both in the classroom and for toileting issues.

As remedial surgery progresses the individual may require less assistance.

As with other cross sections of the community, a large number of people with spina bifida go on to a post secondary education including TAFE and university.

 Employment
People with spina bifida are increasingly being employed in many areas of industry and commerce. In most instances the choice of occupation is influenced by the degree of disability once adulthood is reached. At present there are agencies, statutes and attitudes which ensure that people with disabilities who desire to work are given equal opportunity to find employment.

 Independance
Depending on the degree of disability, remedial surgery, age and the opportunity to develop, children with spina bifida will become more and more independent. Although there will be exceptions, most adults with spina bifida prefer to live an independent lifestyle in mainstream society.