Listen to Me: Communicating the Needs of People With Profound and Multiple Disabilities

Written for parents, carers and professionals who have responsibilities for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, "Listen to Me" focuses on two crucial issues: how to cope with the complex problems of someone with this level of disability, interpret their needs successfully, and maintain effective contact with all the professionals and organizations who deal with them; and how to enrich that person's experience and ensure that others value him or her as a distinct individual with a right to a meaningful life. Highly practical, and using examples from the author's experience with her own daughter, each chapter deals with communicating such rights and needs in particular situations, and includes references for further information and reading. The author explains how to prepare a Care Book which includes the essential personal information, not simply about medication and physical procedures but about the individual's interests, preferences and how it can be used to communicate effectively.