ABSTRACT
Education, for all children, is more than about making progress on the National Curriculum; it is also about making friends and developing socially and emotionally. This chapter explores the issue of making friends from the perspective of a child with a physical difficulty. Friends are important for all children. They are particularly important to children with physical difficulties because they may have had fewer opportunities to interact with their peers than have the able-bodied. Their preschool life may have consisted largely of interacting with their family and the professionals who have given them treatment. They need friends to share and develop interests, to listen to ideas and feelings, and to develop passions – even if that is only for Manchester United.
