ABSTRACT
I am thinking of a little boy I went to see at home, following another professional who had completed a full assessment report on his abilities, showing how far below his age level he was functioning. Mother had set out jigsaws to demonstrate what her son could do and she tried to get him to perform and show off his clever side to me. There was resistance and tantrums. I could see mother getting more and more agitated and I just said, ‘Leave him; he’s all right.’ The next thing you knew, he was sidling up to help me do his puzzle and beginning to co-operate and do things his mother knew he could do. She said, ‘You know why he is doing better? It’s because you like him.’
