Learning to Listen: Positive Approaches and People with Difficult Behavior

For anybody working in disability services this book should be their bible.Herbert Lovett nails it when it comes to different approaches when assisting people with disabilities and especially difficult behaviors. The problem is, as I see it is that our society and the agencies in charge of this vital role need to be brought up to speed with these excellent and truly caring responses put forward by Lovett. It's simplicity is so frustratingly acknowledge by many carers in today's de-institutionalized settings, where the housing environment has been has changed for the better but little else. However, too often the practices and bureaucratic structures, layer upon layer that have been built smothering agencies, their people and workers which stifles any real progress or opportunity and independence. As a direct support worker now for 15 years I know these approaches work and have employed them in my carer role, which luckily for me came naturally which this book confirmed. The fact that it was not part of my training received for this role and would be uncommon even today's training. This book should be mandatory studying for all direct support workers or even more importantly anybody in the field of disabilities. I would dare to say if you cannot follow the books teachings then you probably should not be in the field of disabilities. This is even more important for the professional and management staff in these areas. I'm continually amazed and disappointed at the recycled tried and failed options and lack of workable ideas continually rehashed by an ever revolving door of young and enthusiastic professional staff straight out of Uni, only to see them disillusioned at the complexities. Also, the continued loss of great direct support staff, smothered by mountains of recordings or so-call monitoring in the guise of accountability, seen only to cover management's inadequacies and selfish fears. As in most endeavors in human behavior, the solutions are usually quite simple, "let people be who they are", if enough people see the solutions and have the will to change attitudes or just be truly educated in values. This book is a giant leap forward in that journey; now let us see how many decades it takes for the rest of us to catch-up.

offers a logical way of looking at problem behaviors and their cause for it. in the bigger picture, it really has helped me to look at people who exhibit harmful or "difficult" behavior in a more compassionate way. given this perspective, i feel that it has truely helped me to connect to my students with difficult behavior in a more effective and meaningful way.

The author of this book was killed in a car accident and the disabled lost a great voice. Anyone who reads this will come away with a new understanding and more compassion than before. I was given this book by a most wonderful teacher of our 3rd grader with disabilities, and it changed me. It taught me to advocate better and to find my voice on her behalf. This book has to be read by everyone - parent, teacher, friend, administrator - of the cognitively disabled. I would copy pages to take to our IEP meetings and distribute. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it just pointed out those who should not be in the field. I read this book over 15 years ago and still order copies and think about what it taught me.

This is one of the best books I have read on this subject. It deals with ways to resolve behavioral problems with people who have developmental disabilities, and it is wonderfully respectful of people with such limitations. It discusses the pros and cons of the currently favored Applied Behavioral Analysis method, with a good discussion of how the approach can be mishandled even with the best of intentions. Lovett is a very interesting writer - and while this is a great book for professionals to read and consider very seriously, it is equally understandable and reasonable for those of us who have "on the job training" by caring for those with developmental and behavioral problems. It also reminds me of the concept of Gentle Teaching and includes some aspects of that as well. I strongly recommend it.

One of the most influential person around understanding people we find challenging to support. I have been reading this book regularly since 1996 when I met Herb and we are still using it to help our clinicians learn to listen...

This is a timeless book that should be required reading for anyone who works with individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities.

If you work with people who are labeled with mental health or cognitive disabilities etc. you MUST read this book...Herb is brilliant and quite clever...witty as well.

great condition

This is truly an inspirational book. He challenges culture, asks the reader to look at why they do something, the power base is also held up to nBe reviewed. Herb Lovett is no longer with us but hi in spiral words are

Great deal!