213
Basic Abilities:
A whole approach -
A developmental guide for
children with disabilities
by Sophie Levitt. Souvenir Press (Educa-
tional and Academic) Ltd, London, 1994
(ISBN 0 285 63171 3). Illus. 144 pages.
€12.99.
The main theme of this develop-
mental guide for children with
disabilities is the positive focusing
on the child’s abilities not disabili-
ties. The book is primarily written
for carers, but is intended to be
used in consultation with therap-
ists, and it talks about the import-
ance of bringing therapy into daily
activities.
It is divided into two parts:
‘Before you start’ and ‘Daily activi-
ties’.
Part 1 emphasises that therapy
can and should be done within daily
activities, involve the whole family
and incorporate the child‘s wishes.
Part 2 is logically divided into
eating and drinking; washing;
dressing; toileting; play and mov-
ing, and talks about positions,
abilities (eg using hands, listening),
practical hints and stages of
development. The four stages of
development covered are about 0-6
months, 6-12 months, 1-2 years,
and 2-3 years, and based on normal
developmental stages.
There are a lot of illustrations,
some are good and some poor and
possibly misleading. There are no
photographs.
There is as lot of repetition.
Sophie Levitt acknowledges this
but states t h a t each section can
stand on its own and therefore the
Supported standing (1) - encourage the
child to stand equally on each foot with
her body in the middle
Supported standing (2)-sway the child
from foot to foot i n preparation for
putting out a foot for washing.
Both drawings from ‘Basic Abilities -
A whole approach’
reader does not have t o read the
whole book but just pick the rele-
vant bits.
I think there are some useful
sections but I am concerned that
the book is trying to cover too wide
an ability range and different condi-
tions. It is also covering a wide
professional input.
Clayton’s Electrotherapy
edifed by S Kitchen and S Bazin. W B
Saunders, London (10th edn) 1995
(ISBN 0 7020 1762 0). 374 pages. f25.
The tenth edition of this well
known electrotherapy text contains
21 chapters written by an impres-
sive range of clinicalhesearch
physiotherapists and scientists.
The text itself is divided into six
separate sections: this is an
appealing format which allows a
logical progression from basic
science to more detailed accounts of
the electrotherapeutic modalities.
This format also encourages
readers to cover the basics
first before focusing on a specific
modality.
The first section introduces
readers to the biophysical princi-
ples of electrotherapy and covers
topics such as the electrical prop-
erties of cells and tissues and tissue
repair. This section accounts for
approximately 25% of the entire
text and is very well structured
with numerous illustrations.
There is only one deficiency in
this otherwise excellent section;
the physiology of pain is disap-
pointingly short with only four
references. As pain relief is one of
the main aims of many electro-
therapeutic modalities, this area
certainly deserves more attention
than eight pages.
The next section links the scien-
tific basis and the modalities
Physiotherapy, March 1996, vol 82, no 3
It is emphasised in the book that
carers should use it in conjunction
with therapists (physiotherapists,
occupational therapists and speech
and language therapists) so that
the individual needs of a child can
be met and a plan of action imple-
mented.
There is a very complicated chart
of the four stages of development
and a nice chart emphasising the
holistic approach recommended
in the book.
The book could be purchased by
carers but, as stated earlier, would
need to be used in conjunction with
therapists.
It is printed on poor quality paper
and I think the pages would easily
fall out.
There is a good section on useful
addresses and a n index on further
reading.
S E Moll MCSP DipGradPhys
themselves by addressing thermal,
non-thermal and stimulative
effects. The remaining four sections
focus on a range of electrothera-
peutic modalities. The editors
should be commended on their
choice of modalities because their
selection reflects the changing
trends in current practice. It was
encouraging t o see the inclusion of
a section on electrical stimulation
for wound healing, and the absence
of faradism speaks for itself. The
chapter on interferential therapy
was surprisingly short in view of
the popularity of this modality.
The text on the modalities is well
supported throughout by illus-
trations and each section offers a
reminder of the physical principles
of the modality before embarking
on the clinical effects and applica-
tions. For the most part, with the
exception mentioned above, each
modality is treated in a comprehen-
sive fashion within the restrictions
imposed by a book of this type.
The font used in text itself was
very easy to read and the use of
green text for titles and in the
diagrams was also appealing to
the eye. In conclusion, despite two
areas which could have been
expanded, I would recommend
this book as a essential text for
undergraduate courses.
Deirdre M Walsh
DPhil BPhysio MCSP MISCP