Meeting Emotional Needs in Intellectual Disability : The Developmental Approach

Using a developmental perspective, the authors offer a new, integrated model for supporting people with intellectual disability(ID).This concept builds upon recent advances in attachment informed approaches, by drawing upon a broader understanding of the social, emotional, and cognitive competencies of people with ID, which is grounded in developmental neuroscience andpsychology.The book explores in detail how challenging behaviour and mental health difficulties in people with ID arise when their basic emotional needs are not being met by those in the environment.Using individually tailored interventions, whichcomplement existing models of care, practitioners can help to facilitate maturational processes and reduce behaviour that ischallenging to others.As a result, the "fit" of a person within his or her individual environment can be improved.Case examplesthroughout the book illuminate how this approach works by targeting interventions towards the person's stage of emotionaldevelopment. This book will be of interest to a wide range of professionals working with people with ID, including: clinical psychologists,psychiatrists, occupational therapists, learning disability nurses, speech and language therapists, and teachers in special education settings, as well as parents and caregivers.