32 Tizard Learning Disability Review VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2 APRIL 2001 © Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Limited P. Lacey & C. Ouvry (Eds) Published by David Fulton, London, 1998 ISBN: 1-85346-488-0 Katrina Scior CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND LECTURER,NEWHAM COMMUNITY NHS TRUST AND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON People with profound and multiple disabilities (PMLD) constitute only a very small proportion of those receiving services for people with learning disabilities. However, because of the severity and complexity of their difficulties, they require a major part of resources, often from a wide range of agencies and professionals. They were mostly the last to leave the large institutions and thus we have only limited and short-lived experience of caring for this group in the community. Also, as Male (1996) notes, due to advances in medical sciences, more and more children with profound and multiple disabilities are surviving and the number growing into adulthood is thus on a steady increase.All these factors provide compelling reasons for ensuring good-quality education and services for this group. However, it is often far from clear whether resources are best used to meet the needs of these individuals with the most severe levels of intellectual and usually additional physical disability, so a book aiming to provide guidance to professionals on a wide range of issues relating to service provision for people with PMLD is a very important and timely endeavour. Throughout, the editors and contributors stress the importance of ‘collaborative multi-disciplinar y teamwork’ when working with individuals with PMLD, a commitment by agencies to share and work jointly. The considerable achievement which this book represents in bringing members of various professions and agencies together is already evident from the list of contributors, which shows a formidable range of experience and expertise. The book considers the needs of people with PMLD under four broad sections: personal, social, learning and community. The first section contains chapters on positive health, physical management, sensory needs and personal needs and independence. Section 2 looks at communication, relationships, sexuality and challenging behaviour. A further section considers various aspects of teaching and learning and includes a truly excellent chapter on person-centred planning by Helen Sanderson. The final section looks at a wide range of aspects of community living, including supporting families, advocacy and empowerment, community integration, leisure and community rehabilitation in developing countries. In addition, this last section includes a chapter by Robina Shah on the needs of black people with PMLD and their families. Unlike many books that make passing reference to the needs of people with learning disabilities from ethnic minorities, it is very encouraging to see a chapter explicitly addressing cultural needs. Shah briefly reviews research on the experiences of Asian parents relating to disclosure of their child’s disability and follow-up. She then discusses widely- held stereotypes about Asian cultures and disability and stresses that rejection of services often arises less from cultural attitudes and beliefs than from language barriers and lack of accessible information about social and health services. The breadth of the book is also evident in the fact that issues commonly regarded as of little significance for people with PMLD are considered • • • • B O O K R E V I E W People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities:A Collaborative Approach to Meeting Complex Needs