A PAEDIATRIC HOME THERAPY PROGRAMME FOR DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRESS IN SEVERELY HANDICAPPED INFANTS

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Abstract
An effort was made to influence the development of severely handicapped infants and improve the quality of life for their families in 1 health care district. Weekly visits to the homes by a developmental therapist for 2 yr after the initial suspicion of major developmental delay took place. The visits were carried out by senior professional staff in the therapeutic professions who normally deal with a young handicapped population working within a closely knit team directed by a pediatrician and a psychologist. Success and difficulties met by children, families, therapists and team are described. Appreciation of the child''s individual characteristics and his family''s particular accommodation to them was the task of therapists, who apparently successfully crossed the parent-professional barrier. Evaluation of maternal attitudes in this group and a comparison group from another health care district is being carried out. This paper is the 1st of 3 . The next 2 will describe the observed effects in the children and the families, respectively.