Developmental Disorders

For thousands of loving and concerned parents of autistic children, the suspicion that something may be wrong comes long before the clinical diagnosis of autism, PDD (pervasive developmental disorder), or Asperger's syndrome. When rounds of testing and consultations confirm parents' worst fears, their emotional turmoil is matched by an overriding practical concern: What do we do next? The World of the Autistic Child is by far the most complete and comprehensive book ever written for the parents of autistic children, and for the teachers, child specialists, and other professionals that care for them. Written by Dr. Bryna Siegel, a developmental psychologist and director of a large university clinic for autistic children, it provides help and hope not only for the children, but for their families--the parents, grandparents, siblings, and other caregivers who must come to grips with their own grief and confusion following a diagnosis of autism or other related disorder. Dr. Siegel believes that parents' best defense is to acquire, as early as possible, the knowledge and the parenting skills they will need to work with professionals to help their child fulfill his or her potential. This book, therefore, is about understanding the diagnosis of autism, the available treatments, and how to decide what is best for a particular child with autism or PDD. Straightforward and sympathetic, Dr. Siegel guides readers through the thicket of symptoms and labels, explaining the crucial importance of intensive early education, and how to find the resources and help that are available. Behavior modification, the development of daily living skills, guidelines for selecting and designing schooling, mainstreaming, the role for traditional academics in educating higher functioning children and young people, building effective parent-teacher relationships, psychoactive medications, and dealing with the possibility of residential placement are all covered. Dr. Siegel teaches parents and professionals to use their own common sense and personal observations in evaluating the many highly publicized but unorthodox and often untested treatments for autism, including the much-touted facilitated communication (F/C), holding therapy, auditory training, "Options" therapy, allergy treatments, and special diets. Pulling together a wealth of long-needed information on the latest educational and medical advances, The World of the Autistic Child is a superb guide and resource that no one who cares about autistic or developmentally disabled young people will want to be without.

There was a time when abnormal child psychology was the stepchild of abnormal psychology, with perhaps one or two chapters in an entire advanced textbook devoted to children. Given the explosive amount of new research on child development in general since the 1980s, "stepchild" is obviously no longer a valid characterization. Indeed, in the last 15 years, many new journals devoted to childhood problems have made their appearance on library bookshelves. The first edition of this book was assembled in an effort to integrate the empirical and clinical literatures and show the advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate student the breadth and depth of our existing knowledge about the disorders that manifest themselves early in development. Now, since its publication in 1995, a great deal more work has been done. This revised and expanded second edition includes much new material from the first edition authors and from several new ones, all respected experts in the field. Part I offers an overview. It outlines: *historical developments with documentation of the neglect and abuse that children suffered at the hands of society well into the 20th century; *developmental psychopathology as a theoretical framework to guide research and clinical efforts; *psychophysiological determinants of behavior, with special attention focused on childhood autism, and attention deficit and antisocial conduct disorders; *theoretical, methodological, and practical considerations involved in determining investigatory paths including sampling, design selection, measurement, data analysis, and pragmatics; and *the reactions of children, families, and society to complex and diverse child health problems. Part II addresses assessment and treatment issues. It discusses: *behavioral treatment of childhood disorders and multiple case examples of commonly used techniques; *new developments in pharmacological treatment and sound guidelines for the consideration of pharmacotherapy; and *formulations and a review of preventive interventions. Part III examines specific disorders of childhood and adolescence. It discusses: *anxiety disorders, affective and mood disorders, mental retardation, autism, specific developmental disorders, conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and eating disorders; *psychological aspects of pediatric disorders--interventions tailored to the needs of the child and family to maximize adaptation and recovery; and *substance use disorders--ranging from models emphasizing social influences to those focusing on biological vulnerabilities. Each chapter in Part III has an identical structure--clinical description, causes, course, familial contributions, psychological and genetic influences, current treatments, summary--and includes numerous case illustrations.

Children with neurodevelopmental developmental disabilities such as mental retardation or autism present multiple challenges to their families, health care providers, and teachers. Professionals consulted by desperate parents often see the problems from their own angle only and diagnosis and intervention efforts wind up fragmented and ineffective. This book presents a model multidisciplinary approach to care--family-centered and collaborative--that has proven effective in practice. A pillar of the approach is recognition of the importance of performing culturally competent assessment and adjusting service delivery so that is responsive to cultural differences. Detailed case stories illuminate the ways in which the approach can help children with different backgrounds and different disabilities. Most chapters include study questions, lists of resources, and glossaries to facilitate easy comprehension by professionals with different backgrounds--in special education, communication sciences, and disorders, clinical and counseling psychology, neuropsychology and psychiatry, social work, pediatrics--and program administrators as well as students, trainees and educated parents. Caring for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Their Families constitutes a crucial new resource for all those professionally and personally concerned with these children.