Counseling the parents of birth-defective children

Parents of a child who is diagnosed as defective face a crisis for which they are usually unprepared. They need an opportunity to work through their intense feelings. In addition, they need specific information about how to be of use to their child. Self-help groups composed of parents of children with a similar handicap can be a resource of great value during this crisis as well as in the years that follow. When such groups are not available, parents can be placed in contact with a family that is effectively raising a child with the same handicap or an adult who has successfully coped with it. Physicians should be aware of their own feelings regarding handicaps and of the effect these may have on efforts to help parents.