&NA;This article examines the learning processes of the infant and the fundamental role of the caregiver in the development of social‐emotional skills. Research in the area of infant brain development is considered, together with earlier work in the child development area, in a synthesis of “old” and “new” thinking. The work of Perry and Greenspan is reviewed in the context of the compromised infant, and this provides a framework for the therapeutic interventions of the Champion Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand. The “lived experience” model takes into account the dual coding of affect and behavior as the architecture of social and emotional development. It also considers the interactive and reciprocal role of the caregiver in this process. Recognition and attention to these parameters is considered crucial for children with a disability.