ABSTRACT
Henri Rey in Universals of Psychoanalysis states that "what patients think they are coming to treatment for and that which emerges in the course of treatment could be very different". Most frequently, when parents perceive that their non-speaking child is having a difficulty or they are having a difficulty with their non-speaking child, they refer the child for individual psychotherapy and sometimes for speech therapy. They are bringing something which needs repairing in the child. A mouth closed to speaking, closed to food and a child's legs that have stopped supporting the child are problematic symptoms indicating the child's failed efforts to deal with anxiety and overwhelming emotions. Research into siblings of a very ill or problematic child, such as the non-talking, non-walking, non-eating child, suggests that the siblings will definitely require the parents or professionals to attend to how they perceive and are affected by their sibling's serious retreat from life.
