Impaired expectations: the challenge of ableism in paediatrics

In the field of paediatrics, the concept of normal (ie, typical)-in contrast to different, special, deviant, delayed, or atypical-has imposed a problematic framework within which people view a child with an impairment. This binary perspective oversimplifies a complex, fluid, and dynamic process encompassing physical, behavioural, emotional, cognitive, social, and communicative development. Furthermore, this approach reinforces the notion of a …