This book provides a broad range of activities that parents will find useful when thinking about different ways to engage with their children. A lot of the activities will be familiar as parents would do them with any child; most of the others will be familiar to those with access to therapists. There is useful advice about services, contacts and further reading.

The book cannot cover everything, but some omissions are odd - for example, portage is missing - and some are worrying: trampolining is mentioned twice in a positive way, but it is not made clear that it is a high-risk activity for those with Down syndrome.

The generalised format may encourage a tick list approach, so the “How to use this book” advice is important. It is made clear that it is meant to act as a starting point, being dipped into as needed. This means it looks at many issues but it can only skim the surface.

Jonathan Rix

Lecturer in inclusive education, the Open University