International Handbook of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. Edited by Eric Emerson, Chris Hatton, Travis Thompson & Trevor R. Parmenter. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. 2004. 656 pp. £100.00 (hb). ISBN 0471497096

This book was edited by four eminent international researchers and covers a range of topics related to research with people with learning disabilities, concentrating on concepts and methods used in research. The four areas covered are the historical and social context of research; issues related to measurement; the application of research methods (nature, characteristics and social context); and the impact of support systems and services. The first part of the book deals with some of the concepts and theoretical models relating to research with people with learning disabilities, including a discussion of the ethics of applied research. The second part is taken up by a discussion of the methods and techniques of research. This is followed by a description of some of the practical applications of these research methods, including educational, social, family, health (genetic, mental health, ageing) and employment aspects of care and provision for those with learning disabilities. Many of the 30 chapters are likely to form the basis for future research in their particular topics and contain a wealth of useful information on research methods, tricks of the trade and useful quotations.

The book is well written, although a number of chapters are difficult to read for non-psychologists (what is ‘the parallelness of these multidimensional adaptive behavior factors’?). One of the most interesting topics in the book for me was the discussion of how to enable people with learning disabilities to take part in research, but as the title of one of these chapters is ‘Emancipatory and participatory research: how far have we come’, it struck me that if a psychiatrist has difficulty reading the chapter, what chance do those with learning disabilities have?

All the contributors are from English-speaking nations (approximately half are American), and I would have welcomed more contributions from the rest of the world in an ‘international handbook’.

The result is a densely written reference book, many chapters of which form useful reading for those involved in research with people with learning disability. For me, reading this book has been a learning experience, not in the least in reminding me that there are many areas of research involving people with learning disabilities of which I know little and would like to find out more.