Non-violent communication for people with disabilities

Does this sound familiar? Maya has refused to wash for days, Ahmed talks constantly while eating, and Simone throws crockery during lunch at school. Situations like these are part of everyday life in many residential groups for people with intellectual disabilities and in therapeutic and special educational work. Across 172 pages, Karen Nimrich asks how you can respond to such behaviours, which reactions are truly appropriate, and how conflicts can be resolved and challenging situations handled with confidence.

Her answer is Nonviolent Communication, applied to supporting people with intellectual disabilities. After an introduction to the four classic elements, observation, feeling, need and request, she shows you how to recognise and meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and how their social and emotional development progresses from birth to adulthood.

There are also chapters on the opportunities offered by needs-oriented language, empathy in the ‘four-ears model’ with its ears for blame and ears for understanding, power and how to handle it, and Nonviolent Communication within a team when it comes to addressing problems.

Published by Edition Riedenburg, 172 pages.