Intervention with infants at risk for abuse or neglect.

The need for direct services to infants at risk for abuse or neglect is addressed, with an emphasis on the advantages to the child of the integration of various modalities of treatment. The expertise of professionals who work with infants and young children in therapeutic and stimulation programs is required. Their experience also underscores the need for direct intervention in the parent-child interaction process. The developmental line of mastery and competence is reviewed with highlights of how this may be derailed in the at-risk infant. Finally, two suggestions are developed: that empathy might be taught to parents through an educational mode and that surrogate parenting, part-time, might be implemented routinely with mistreated children, at-risk infants, and perhaps for all infants.