Developmental assessment and the handicapped child

Abstract

For far too long relatively little interest was shown in the handicapped child. Most paediatricians were too occupied in dealing with the acute illnesses of childhood but as the workload for this has diminished, interest in the handicapped child has grown. Regrettably the potential of reducing handicap by updating obstetric and perinatal care has not been fully realized. For those children born with handicaps it is important that the handicap is recognized early and its full nature assessed to identify the problems and plan a future to enhance the child’s best potentials.