The basic care needs of profoundly mentally retarded children with multiple handicaps.

The ability profiles, aetiological patterns and basic care needs for a small minority of the most seriously multi-impaired and profoundly mentally handicapped children were analysed. The analyses were based on (1) a care-load study (1980-81) of a population-based series of 53 children and adolescents born in 1966-76, representing the most profoundly retarded third of those with and IQ less than 50 in the city of Gothenburg, and (2) 10 years clinical experience of a paediatric multi-impairment unit, including a cross-sectional consensus evaluation of the children being cared for in August 1986. It is concluded that these children represent a long-term paediatric care-group in need of continuous and life-long baby-care, with access to medical support and service. When it is not possible to care for these children in their own homes, it cannot be realistically expected that they can be included in a normalisation scheme, implying that they can become integrated residentially and socially in society and participate in traditional training-school programmes.