Susan McCool is a speech and language therapist whose career has combined clinical practice, university education, advising and consulting, research, and writing. She has extensive clinical experience with children who have complex profiles, in a wide range of settings. Susan has contributed to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists as an adviser in autism, and as a reviewer of its webpages on social, emotional, and mental health. She was involved in developing the curriculum guidelines for speech and language therapy courses in UK universities and is currently a Principal Teaching Fellow at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Addressing mental health needs in children and young people is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. McCool makes a compelling case for placing social communication at the centre of managing these needs. This book is essential reading for all speech-language pathologists involved in the care of these clients. - Louise Cummings, Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China This is an important book for anyone who wants to support young people's mental health, offering both theoretical and practical insights. Communication support needs are often overlooked in young people with mental health issues although they can have devastating implications, not least on the efficacy of any intervention offered. - Melanie Cross, Speech and Language Therapist, Author and Video Interaction Guidance Supervisor The format of this book is beautifully balanced: it is authoritative, yet concisely and clearly written; it is highly practical yet packed with useful information. It will go a long way towards closing the gap between speech and language therapy and the rest of the child mental health world. - Helen Minnis, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Glasgow, Scotland