BOOK REVIEWS 95

What is the use of such a book as this for a practising behaviour therapist? I can see several. One is as a useful overview of some basic topics-and some new ones. Secondly, it provides a model for instructing clients and client groups in self-administered therapeutic activities. Thirdly, the book can be used as an adjunct to therapy-a patient enlightened in what the therapist tries to do for him is always a better patient. This book will perform all of these roles without boring any class of reader and-more importantly-without misinforming him.

P. DE SILVA

W. LAUTERBACH: Sovier fsychofherapy. Pergamon Press, Oxford (1984). 241 pages. f 13.50.

I have already reviewed this book when it was published in German, and the present review is mainly intended to draw the attention of readers to its appearance in an English translation. Approximately 50 pages are devoted to a study of behaviour-oriented therapy which is a rather recent development in the Soviet Union. Altogether the book is practically the only one to give the reader an introduction to Soviet psychotherapy. both its practice and the theory on which it is based: as such should be read by anyone interested in the topic.

H. J. EYSENCK

M. C. JONES: Behaoiour Problems in Handicapped Children: the Beach Tree House Approach (Human Horizon Series), Souvenir Press. London (1983). ix + 240 pages. f5.95.

This is an eminently readable book, intended for parents, teachers and therapists working with handicapped children. It concerns Beach Tree House (an off-shoot of the Spastic Society’s Meldreth Manor School) which was designed to cater for handicapped children with behaviour problems who were too difficult for the main school.

Malcolm Jones, the author. is in the enviable position of being the psychologist in charge of the unit, which has so far catered for about 30 children. The unit’s policy is to accept difficult handicapped children, for a brief period of behavioral treatment (up to a year, sometimes longer), with the intention of returning the children. once they have learned more appropriate behaviour, to homes or suitable hostels. schools or hospitals.

The book would be an excellent introductory text for those not familiar with the behavioural management of difficult handicapped children. though the chapter on behaviour modification would need to be supplemented by other reading (as Jones himself recommends). The two case-history chapters provide excellent concrete examples of the unit’s approach.

For those already familar with the field. the book still makes interesting reading. In many places it provides innovative Ideas. regarding the design of the environment (Chapter 2). useful equipment for monitoring and programme delivery (Chapter 3). methods of staffing (Chapter 5) and maintenance of children’s improvement after discharge (Chapter 6 on parents). In some ways the book could act as a manual of good practice for such units: for example, parents are present throughout case conferences. involved in decision-making and assisted over the first few days when their child returns home by a unit staff member who comes to stay.

Despite this. the unrt clearly has its problems. For example, those staff in continual direct contact with the children usually leave after a year. Jones takes this ‘bum-out’ in his stride. but one wonders whether the apparently perfect system IS actually extremely stressful. Secondly. being essentially a residential school, children have to leave during school holidays. frequently going to disastrous environments. It is surely time for the unit to function all year round as other similar units do. Finally. the psychologist is likely to be disapointed by the lack of data in the book. There is no experimental demonstration of the efficacy of the unit’s techniques, although brief figures (regarding areas of improvement) are given in the Appendix. Clearly the book was not intended to provide such data, but psychologists will be left wondering about the following question: to what extent are the unit’s successes due to good staffing, common sense and a humane approach. which most institutions lack? How much is specifically due to the behavioural approach? Such questions are particularly apposite now, when similar units are springing up around the country. Malcolm Jones is apparently collecting data to at least partly answer this question. I hope his belief in behavioural methods is justified.

G. MURPHY

B. A. EDELSTEIK and E. T. COUTURE (Eds): Behaoioral Assessmenr and Rehabilitation of the Traumatically Brain-damaged. Plenum Press. New, York (1984). xviii + 346 pages. $39.50.

The title of this book may be misleading for many readers of this journal who would normally regard the term ‘behavioural assessment‘ as referring to identification of the particular problems faced by an individual, measurement of the frequency and or severity of those problems. and evaluation of intervention procedures. Most of the authors of the IO chapters in this book do not interpret the term in this precise manner but tend to use it only as a very loose guidelme for their more diverse interests. For instance. the chapter on memory assessment and remediation by Grafman. although m some ways contammg much of interest pursued in a structured manner, omits any reference to the behavioural literature whrch can be effectively applied to the traumatically brain-injured. The author’s approaches to treatment do not Include behavioral assessment. He in fact uses the Wechsler Memory Scale (not the most sensitive of tests) to measure improvement, It could be argued that direct measurement. operational definitions. multiple-baseline designs and so forth

96 BOOK REVIEWS

would have been more appropriate. Even when. also in this chapter. an ABA3 design was impiemenred tt is ne\er made clear whether the patient concerned used memory strategies and then improved. or whether he used the strategies hrcc~~t he has improved.

The chapter by Lynch. “A Rehabilitation Program for Brain-injured Adults”. contains descriptions of neuro- psychological procedures and rating scales which may be unfamiliar to many readers. Those readers who can forgtke the author for labelling such measures as ‘behavioural assessments’ will find them of some Interest.

The two chapters I particularly enloyed were those by Goldstein and Rosenthal. Goldstein v.rttes the opening chapter on “Methodological and Theoretical Issues in Neuropsychological Assessment”. He makes some sound and sensthir points about the relationship between behavioural and neuropsychological approaches. Rosenthal‘s chapter on “Strategtes for Interventton with Families of Bram-injured Patients” is short. to the point and well-orgamred. It probides a us~fui framework in which to consider ways of helping families of brain-damaged pattents. The remanning chapters consrdrr communication disorders, the use of the turia-Nebraska nemopsychological battery in rehnbthtatton. training the brain-damaged patient in self-management skills, the physical rehabthtation of the elderly. the mobile-mourning process and an example of a cognitive perceptual remediation programme.

Like most edited books, this one is patchy but it does contain some worthwhiIe material, Several assessment and remediation procedures are described; and for the reader who is prepared to do some searching. this book could pro%idr a few ideas for developing treatment programmes and research projects.

BARMU WILSOY