When the child was diagnosed as an infant, mothers
found it difficult to believe the negative realities that the
child's health problem entailed They believed it was too
early to predict a child's potential when the infant was
naturally helpless and dependent When the child exhibited
delays in development, they hoped that the child was
'slow' and would 'catch up' They were driven by a sense of hope and optimism that their situation would be different
or would improve Two mothers admitted to being very
sceptical and were determined to prove to the doctors that
they were wrong