Proposes a large-scale community screening study for Kuwait, using a schedule based on the 1980 World Health Organization Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps. The needs for accurate prevalence data are reviewed from the standpoint of establishing etiological patterns, pinpointing opportunities for prevention, and furnishing a sound basis for planning in a country with a rapidly growing population and still-developing network of care services. Services currently provided include psychiatric and developmental programs, as well as residential care for mentally handicapped children.