Developing Staff Competencies for Supporting People with Developmental Disabilities: An Orientation Handbook, 2d ed.

Gardner and Chapman have written a handbook in the best sense of the word. This second edition purports to be a beginning for a process of acquiring further knowledge, rather than a final word. It is organized to be a guide to the process of learning and change in the direction of current trends such as inclusion and respectful philosophies of care. It is also organized so that the learning experiences are interactive and occur in small increments.

Four sections are used to organize the material into a useful, self-study format. The sections cover all aspects of services needed for individuals with developmental disabilities. Their content includes history of care, aspects of formal programming, current methods used to sort out individual differences, and work-site/living arrangements.

Although this handbook is written primarily for human service workers, it philosophically parallels aspects of physical therapy service provision when a family-centered approach is at the basis of intervention.

Medical and diagnostic information seems to be accurate and current in definition and description, including useful information on seizure disorders and autism. One ongoing theme boldly stated throughout the text is that the practitioner/provider not assume things about functional capacity based on diagnosis.

There is also an ongoing premise in chapters 2 and 9 stating that behavior is a form of communication and requires understanding or decoding rather than "correction." This way of thinking allows for a broader scope of intervention, including arranging the environment or antecedent events so that desired behavior occurs or different behavior can be valued.

Additional information covered includes chapters on normalization and legal rights and sections on program development and individual differences.

Two chapters in the section on individual differences that might be particularly useful to physical therapists cover adaptive technology and working with families. A listing of resources at the end is also quite complete and useful.

I would strongly recommend this handbook to physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who work with children or adults with permanent disabilities. The chance for shaping helpful attitudes and abilities to work for and with clients is likely to be accomplished in the direction of giving support and valuing individuals while improving their function.