Eric Emerson

This is a timely book. The question of how to help people with challenging behaviour -and how to design and manage services so that staff, families and users feel that what should be done is being done - is at the top of the agenda. Failure to deal com- petently with the issue results in disaffection, poor quality ser- vices and a less than optimal quality of life for service users. Moreover, the credibility of services for all people with learning disabilities is intimately connected with how we cope with chal- lenging behaviour, a point made recently by a Department of Health Working Group chaired by Jim Mansell (Department of Health, 1993). The book is welcome because it draws together what is known about the important questions from a British perspective, although, of course, most of the underlying issues have world- wide relevance. The contributors, while all having a good deal of experience and authority, do not put forward simple portrayals of the problems, nor glib solutions, and this is one of the book's major strengths. Clarity in the field of challenging behaviour is sometimes elu- sive. What is presented here forces the reader to confront argu- ments in a rational and logical fashion.

People with intellectual disabilities die at a younger age and have poorer health than their non-disabled peers. This is largely avoidable and is unjust. This book uses concepts from contemporary public health to provide a comprehensive evidence-based overview of: the nature and extent of the health inequalities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities; why these inequalities occur and persist; and what can and needs to be done to address these inequalities. The authors have a wealth of firsthand experience gained from years of working at the interface between disability research and public health. This experience is collected and shared in this volume, which will be an invaluable resource for practitioners, advocates, policymakers and researchers concerned with health and social care and the wellbeing of disabled people.

'Challenging' behaviours are common among people with intellectual disabilities, resulting in significantly reduced quality of life. These may include aggression, self-injury, destructiveness, hyperactivity and inappropriate social conduct. This new edition provides a concise, accessible and contemporary summary of current knowledge about challenging behaviour, drawn from psychology, psychiatry, medicine and public health. Fully updated and revised, it includes comprehensive coverage of the epidemiology and aetiology of challenging behaviours, and evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of different approaches to intervention. This edition contains significantly expanded sections on the emergence and development of challenging behaviour and strategies for prevention, at the level of both individuals and service systems. Essential reading for students undertaking professional training in health and related aspects of intellectual disabilities, including psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, teachers and social workers. This book is a key text for professional staff delivering health, educational and social care services to people with intellectual disabilities.

Social workers and allied professionals will find this book to be a valuable tool, highlighting ways of improving the cultural sensitivity of disability services and parental and family support. Combining a wide-ranging survey and in-depth interviews, the authors build a rich picture of the lives of South Asian families with a child with severe disabilities and place their experiences in the wider context of how culture and ethnicity can impact on a family's experience of disability. The authors offer clear ideas for practical improvements in:* awareness and mobilisation of formal support services* parental and extended family acceptance of the child's disability* availability of support groups and other informal support* parents' physical and mental health* the child and family's social lifelinking their findings to recent policy initiatives to improve the information and support offered to all carers. Policy makers, academics and practitioners in health, social work and education will find the authors give an invaluable insight into the cultural, religious and language needs of ethnic minority families coping with disability.