Editorial

Citation

Mc Nicholl, D. (2013), "Editorial", Social Care and Neurodisability, Vol. 4 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/scn.2013.56104baa.001

Editorial

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Social Care and Neurodisability, Volume 4, Issue 2.

Welcome to Volume 4, Issue 2, of Social Care and Neurodisability. This quarterly journal aims to be a single source of knowledge on legislation, best practice and research for those working with and affected by neurological conditions.

This issue opens with a single case study of a young person in which Janet Ashworth highlights the need for the provision of specialist services for children with acquired brain injuries and when such services are provided how different outcomes for clients can be achived .

Two of the papers, those by Thomas Merten and Martin Bunnage, consider issues of symptom validity assessment and improving outcomes in the NHS for people with “mild” traumatic brain injuries respectively. For many there is an overlap between the issues of symptom validity and mild traumatic brain injury, particularly those who are assessing and working with people in a medico-legal context. Thomas Merten's paper gives an up-to-date review of the issues of symptom validity whereas Martin Bunnage's suggests how to understand and help people with “mild brain injuries”.

The final original paper in this issue by Ryan Aguiar provides a new way of considering aggression post brain injury and relates such behaviour to a wider psychological and social context.

Keith Jacobs regular Forum Section discusses how to involve people with neuro-disabilities in their own care by tapping into recovery-orientated models of practice. Recovery, of course, is an approach that originated in mental health services but Keith suggests, a position I agree with, that this model has much to offer with regards to empowering those with acquired neurological disorders. Of course there are some who argue that the recovery model in mental health services has been somewhat “watered down” because in many places it is not driven by service users. However, as with many models we take over from mental health, learning disability services and others there is some adaptation and “translation” needed in their application to people with acquired neurological disorders.

I would be very interested to hear if others have considered how the recovery model might be applied in services for people with acquired neurological disorders. Please get in touch with any comments.

Once again I very much hope you enjoy this issue and find both intellectual and practical applications from its contents.

Declan Mc Nicholl