Hesperian Health Guides
History Taking
HealthWiki > Disabled Village Children > Chapter 4: Examining and Evaluating Children with Disabilities > History Taking
Later in this chapter you will find a record sheet for taking a child’s history. You can use it as a guide for the kinds of questions it is important to ask. (Of course, some of the questions will apply more to some children than others, so ask only where the information might be helpful.)
When asking questions, we rehabilitation workers must always remember that parents and family are the only real experts on their child. They know what she can and cannot do, what she likes and does not like, in what ways she manages well, and where she has difficulties.
However, sometimes part of the parents’ knowledge is hidden. They may not have put all the pieces of knowledge together to form a clear picture of the child’s needs and possibilities. The suggestions in this chapter, and the questions on the RECORD SHEETS, may help both rehabilitation workers and parents to form a clearer picture of their child’s needs and possibilities.
Rehabilitation workers and parents can work together to figure out the child’s needs.