Life Story Books:

for people with learning disabilities

a practical guide

Helen Hewitt

2006            ISBN 1 904082 76 9            Price £16.00

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Identity is what makes us unique. People with learning disabilities are often denied the opportunity to consider who they are and how life events affect their identity. This is even more pertinent in the light of current community care where people are faced with many transitions in their lives which can lead to a lack of continuity, and even a loss of identity, if a person’s past experiences are not acknowledged.

A life story book is an account of a person’s life, including stories and memories of past events and relationships – all the kinds of experiences that make us who we are.
In addition to helping the person with learning disabilities, these books also enable others to see beyond the ‘client’ identity and appreciate that each person has a unique life history that sets them apart from other people.

This guide provides easy-to-follow advice for creating life story books. It is aimed at all client groups and levels of ability. It can be used by people with learning disabilities themselves, or by people working with them. The benefits of using life story books makes this guide a valuable resource for all people who are involved in the lives of people with learning disabilities.

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A Practical Guide to Intensive Interaction

Melanie Nind and Dave Hewett

2000            ISBN 1 902519 63 9            Price £20.00

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This practical handbook will enable staff, parents and carers to help people with severe learning difficulties to communicate more easily with other people, using Intensive Interaction tools and techniques devised by the authors.

Included in the guide are numerous case studies and examples, checklists, and suggestions for troubleshooting and further reading.

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See What I Mean:

guidelines to aid understanding of communication by people with severe and profound learning disabilities

Nicola Grove

2000            ISBN 1 902519 41 8            Price £12.00

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Guidelines to help staff understand what people with severe and profound learning disabilities are communicating, particularly in the context of decision making.

The guidelines include procedures for:

• gathering information and considering the likely preferences of a person with a learning disability
• arranging a formal discussion with a person with a learning disability to discover their wishes
• checking interpretations

The guide is suitable for use by people who live and work alongside people with severe and profound learning disabilities.

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Supporting a Child with a Learning Disability:

a guide for teachers and classroom assistants

Madelyn Green

2005            ISBN 1 904082 87 4            Price £5.00

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This guide is a practical introduction to supporting a child with a learning disability for teachers and classroom assistants. It identifies the particular difficulties that affect learning and the triggers that highlight the need for intervention. It includes simple and effective strategies that may help.

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Storytelling

Nicola Grove

Storytelling promotes a strong and coherent sense of identity and supports personal development including essential communication skills. This comprehensive
resource is for anyone interested in setting up a storytelling group for people with learning disabilities. It contains:

● information on how to recruit for and administer a group
● all the materials to deliver an OCNaccredited one-year course in inclusive
storytelling
● examples of games to use when starting a group
● tips for troubleshooting
● a CD-ROM with games, activities, a collection of basic stories and examples
of group storytelling

The course develops storytelling through 4 strands:

● story themes – nourishes the imagination and develops the ability to make systematic choices
● story lines – covers the collection and development of different kinds of story
● story skills – exercises and games to practise strategies for telling and listening
● story company – fosters a sense of group identity and social skills

The resource can be used by social service, arts and health professionals (including speech and language therapists), teachers and classroom
assistants and psychologists.

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Page ref: '03books_communication'         Owned by: t.tindell@bild.org.uk
Last updated: 12/12/2007