THE HANDICAPPED CHILD AT HOME1 1Received May, 1972.

The baby and small child are not able to perform consciously any adequate manoeuvres which will contribute positively to the correction of a disability. Thus the treatment of this age group is essentially passive or assistive active. Treatment attempting to achieve normal patterns of development is not a single “half hour period a day” approach but a “24 hour a day” plan of care and management. It is thus fundamental that success in treating the young child will depend on the child's parents and family. Since any child would be likely to spend most of the time with its mother, that child's future development is mostly in her hands, and any treatment of a child must be delegated very largely to the mother