This essential text presents the core information that all nursing students and apprentices along with other key health and social care professions, regardless of field, need to know about caring for people with a learning disability and autism. It outlines some of the key challenges faced by people with a learning disability and autism and ways in which good care can improve their quality of life. People with a learning disability and autism are more likely to need support with aspects of everyday life, be marginalised within society, including within health and social care, and die younger than the rest of the population. They are also more likely to have additional communication needs, sensory processing difficulties and require significant support to access healthcare as well as other opportunities across the course of their lives. This innovative text highlights the core knowledge that all health and social care professionals need and emphasises the benefits of learning across different fields of practice. It presents information about common conditions, key skills, and where a standard approach may need to be changed when caring for person with a learning disability and autistic people. It demystifies key issues and commonly misunderstood concepts and topics including distressed behaviours, consent, and reasonable adjustments. The book also focuses on addressing health inequalities, improving communication, understanding mental capacity and presents case studies throughout to illustrate how care can and should be delivered. Written for all who need to understand the needs of this population and to deliver care as effectively as possible this collaborative text brings together the voices of services users and their families and carers with those of nurses, other health professionals, lecturers and nursing students and apprentices.

Table of Contents:
Section 1 - Why have we written this book?,1 The People who inspired this book, 2 The Power of Words, Why Terminology Is Important, 3 The Learning Disability Nursing Student and Apprentice Voice, 4 About me and how I became Chief Executive of All Wales People First , 5 Learning from Lives and Deaths of People with Learning Disability and Autistic People, Section 2: Lived Experiences and professional insights: understanding care and treatment for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, 6 Inclusive Communication: Creating Positive Outcomes - A Mother’s Lived Experience, 7 Autism and Learning Disabilities - Linda Woodcock, 8 Nursing Observations and people with a learning disability: considerations, 9 Protection of Body Shape, 10 Considerations for delivery of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and choking management to people with profound and multiple learning disability and wheelchair users, 11 Clinical holding, 12 The importance of equity and accessibility: radiotherapy treatment for people with cancer and learning disability, 13 Managing distressed behaviours in health care settings: applying low arousal approaches, 14 Conditions that all nurses and allied health professionals need to be aware of in people with learning disabilities, 15 Epilepsy and individuals with a learning disability, 16 Learning Disabilities and Stroke, 17 The Mental Capacity Act and Consent , 18 Transforming Care and mental health support for people with a learning disability, 19 An Exploration of the Equality Act and Making Reasonable Adjustments, 20 Undercover Documentaries: An Insider View, Section 3 Responding to Inequality and Inequity, 21 - Introduction - We are nursing in an imperfect world, 22 – We are nursing in an imperfect world – reflections on the importance of staffing and skill mix, 23 – Medication and diet in individuals with a learning disability, 24 – Mental Capacity, Communication and Advocacy for People living with learning disabilities, 25 - A reflection on communication and the use of hospital passports within an acute hospital setting, Section 4 – Conclusion, 26 – The Last Word for now…