[Habilitation of children--an expanding discipline]

Children with mental or physical disabilities require both general and specialised medical care. Since the separate health care system for mentally disabled people was closed down in Norway in 1991, new acts of parliament, parliamentary documents and guidelines have focused on improving the medical, educational and social services for this group. This article describes the organisation and some of the tools used in an interdisciplinary model. The challenge for us as health workers is to utilise the new diagnostic tools and the new treatment options. Working alongside other professions, our aim is to optimise the care and conditions of disabled children and their families, helping them closer to the goal: an independent life based on self-determination.