ABSTRACT
It is very easy to emphasize the practical and educational issues surrounding the full integration of a motor impaired child into mainstream school and to fail to take account of what the child feels about it all. Teachers and parents, in a genuine attempt to give the child the benefits of a mainstream curriculum, can overlook the psychological trauma they may be causing the child. The child, fearful of seeming ungrateful and wanting to be just like the rest of the kids in the street, makes the best of his situation. Mainstreaming is still in its infancy; it will be interesting to hear what the children have to say about their experiences when they become adults-maybe they would have preferred special education. The true stories of Christopher and Benjamin may help to illustrate the importance of adult awareness of unspoken fears and apprehensions.
