ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the three major themes of research interest. The first is child-rearing in its social context, a topic which intends doggedly to pursue until seen from 'children' taking up the parental role themselves. The second is handicap, the way it affects the child-rearing process and the ways in which the parental role can be enabled to encompass the remedial role. The third, which is the infinitely delicate process by which the encounter between mother and infant is initiated, sustained and extended gradually to include the rest of the family and eventually the social world. The study of the upbringing of cerebral palsied children has been followed by investigations of other special groups: immigrant children, children without fathers for whatever reason, visually-impaired and hearing-impaired children. The chapter explains both the principles and the practical mechanics of the interview.
