This study reports the findings of a survey undertaken in 1990/1991 in a poor and predominantly Malay-Muslim community in southern Thailand. The aims were to estimate the prevalence and type of childhood disability and to examine some of the ways in which this disability can be prevented and treated. The result showed that the overall prevalence rate of child disability was 1.2%. Most disabled children were suffering from limb impairment, followed by muteness, deafness, and mental retardation. Nearly half of the children had never been treated or assessed by a modern rehabilitation service, two-thirds would be expected to gain significant improvement from assessment and appropriate referral, and one-third of the disabilities could have been prevented using the application of modern technologies. Cost, inaccessibility and strong cultural beliefs explained the failure of the children's families to bring them to the service. The study indicates several ways in which disability could be better prevented, detected or treated in rural Thailand.