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Presenting a child with severe disabilities: parents and professionals as mediators

Norwegian Centre for Child Research, Dragvoll, Norway

This article discusses the need for new forms of "presenting" severely disabled children to local politicians, administrators and people living in the local community. The ideas of normalization and inclusion, and the principle of decentralizing public social services make the local authorities responsible for offering disabled children normal life con ditions. What is then normal life for a child in our society? The notions of child and childhood have changed through history, and now children are seen as subjects, actively taking part in communication and interaction with their environments, influencing their life conditions. Children with severe developmental disabilities have limited abilities to present themselves through interaction, and need mediators. How parents and pro fessionals act as mediators, "presenting" the child to diverse groups, is illustrated by three cases. The purposes served by this medication are discussed.

Key Words: developmental disabilities • children • social representations • mediation • integration • care services.

Childhood, Vol. 2, No. 4, 196-206 (1994)
DOI: 10.1177/090756829400200403


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