Bob Bates was an Executive Officer in the Civil Service for 20 years. During this time, he worked for seven years as an employment coach and mentor to people with disabilities. On leaving the Civil Service he set up his own management and training consultancy, The Arundel Group, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. He had a break from consultancy in the mid-1990s to take up a lecturing career, during which time he gained two Masters degrees and a PhD in Education. He has taught over 1000 teachers on graduate and post-graduate programmes at two universities and in adult education centres. Many of the teachers on these programmes work with children, young people and adults with learning disabilities and additional needs. Bob has written four books. The Little Book of BIG Management Theories, written with Jim McGrath, was published by Pearson in 2014.

It was the Chartered Management Institute's (CMI) practical management book of the year in 2014 and was on WH Smith's best-sellers list for nine months. It is being translated into seventeen languages. His first solo book, The Little Book of Big Coaching Models, published by Pearson in 2015, was also a best-seller and was described by Sir Dave Brailsford (Team Sky Cycling Director) as a 'great read'. It is currently being translated into German and Thai. His third book, Learning Theories Simplified, was published by SAGE in autumn 2015, and his fourth, A Quick Guide to Special Needs and Disabilities, published by SAGE in autumn 2016. Bob shares his time these days between writing, working with European partners on projects related to disability, teaching adult education teachers and doing voluntary work for a charity that promotes health and education in the Gambia. His wife has worked in special needs education for over 25 years, and gave Bob the idea for this book as she keeps telling him that all of her children and young people are special, some just have more needs than others.Bob can be contacted through his web site bobbates.

co.uk (here you get an option to pick Research or Bad Bob Bates - please choose the former) or email saddlers9899@aol.com.