Abstract
Due to major advances in medical science and technology, many more children with chronic illnesses are now able to survive to adulthood. This dramatic progress in medical science and technology has occurred without social preparation; the quality of life of severely chronically ill children has remained a relatively neglected area. Service delivery models should be developed to prepare the chronically ill child to cope with day-to-day psychosocial problems. The child must learn to function independently in the heterogeneous environments of his or her natural community. Medically supervised early intervention programs in either health care settings or in settings that are closely associated with medical centers or hospitals are recommended. It is also recommended that the family must be the center upon which the intervention efforts are based.
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