In the current practice of physical therapy for children with chronic physical disabilities, more and more attention is paid to parental participation. In the past, physical therapy was mainly impairment oriented, with supposed effects on the daily functioning of the child. It was the exclusive domain of therapists and physicians. Parents were usually not involved in the therapy for their children. It was not until recently that physical therapists became more aware of the possible role of parents. In the early 1980s an important development in this area started. The role of parents changed from a passive one into an active participating one. Parents became a sort of co-therapist, meaning that while therapists decided on the treatment goals and methods, parents were expected to perform the treatment activities at home in cooperation with the treatment activities of the therapist in the clinic. Since then, the discussion about the optimal role of parents in the physical therapy of their children has continued. This discussion has resulted in the current belief that parents should be actively involved, and should be working with therapists as equal partners in deciding the goals and content of the physical therapy for their children.