During 1961–1967, the field shifted from medical deficit models toward psychosocial, family-centered, and inclusive approaches that emphasize adaptation, social participation, and integrated educational planning. Parallel work highlighted neuropsychological perspectives and the need for assessments that interpret complex behavior rather than relying on simplistic brain–behavior links. Epidemiology of maladjustment and educational retardation began to inform data-driven classification, while educational practice and policy stressed integrated services, reform-oriented program design, and evolving conceptual framing of disability. Influential Works: Foundational studies in this period examined how visibly handicapped individuals manage stigma and social interaction, establishing stigma research and the social construction of disability. Research into children's motivation, self-concept, and expectancy foreshadowed attribution theory and informed later instructional practice. Early epidemiological investigations into outcomes for very low birth weight children, along with shifts in terminology and classification, spurred early intervention efforts and the development of standardized language and comprehensive surveys that guided policy and service design.