In the history of pediatrics, the first two decades of this century might be designated as ones of definition, the third decade, one of prevention, the fourth, one of specific therapy, and the fifth, one of subspecialization. It appears likely that the present decade, may come to be known as one dedicated to the handicapped child. As mortality has dropped among the young, an enormous number of children with congenital and acquired handicaps emerge. Every state now has a program able to provide orthopedic care and plastic surgery to persons under 21 years of age. All states offer some care for children afflicted with cerebral palsy, and many have clinics for those with rheumatic fever, heart disease, hearing and speech defects, and other disabling conditions.
Here is the book that parents, seeking understanding and consolation, might well read first on discovering that their child is handicapped. The importance of psychological