Developmental Assessment of the School-Aged Child with Developmental Disabilities: A Clinician's Guide

Children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems who are referred to mental health services for assessment often have undiagnosed mild learning disabilities, and this guide is written for clinicians involved in making such assessments. It provides full guidance on common developmental disorders and their assessment, focusing on mild to moderate disabilities in the school-aged child. It covers intellectual disabilities, dyslexia, dyscalculia (mathematical disability), autism spectrum disorders, speech and language impairment, developmental coordination disorder, and emotional and personality development. Each chapter includes an account of normal development, including developmental milestones, an overview of the disorder, and its clinical assessment. This important professional guide will be invaluable for all child health and mental health professionals and trainees, including paediatricians, psychiatrists, mental health workers, clinical psychologists and educational psychologists.

Table of Contents:
Preface. 1. Introduction: General Issues in Development. 2. Developmental Disabilities (Disorders). 3. Developmental Assessment. 4. Acquisition of Reading: Developmental Dyslexia and Assessment of Dyslexia. 5. Acquisition of Mathematical Skills: Developmental Dyscalculia and Assessment of Dyscalculia. 6. Development of Speech and Language, Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and Assessment of SLI. 7. Development of Social Communication, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Assessment of ASD. 8. Development of Motor Skills, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Assessment of DCD. 9. Development of Cognitive Abilities, Mild Intellectual Disability and Assessment of Mild Intellectual Disability. 10. Emotional, Personal and Social Development. Appendix I. Developmental Milestones. Appendix II. Developmental History: Parent Form. Appendix III. School Report Form. Appendix IV. Direct School Observation Form. Index.

About the Author :
M. S. Thambirajah is Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust. He has over 20 years' experience in the field, and is author of Understanding School Refusal, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Review :
This book would sit nicely on a shelf in the office of a professional in Education, Psychology or Psychiatry. It would save the individual time in having to gather up the information it holds from other sources, and if a detail was forgotten or needed quickly referencing it would be there to hand A solid knowledge and understanding of child development is central to child mental health assessment and interventions. Although developmental disabilities are common among children with mental health problems, there have been a surprisingly limited number of texts for practitioners. This refreshing book covers this training gap by linking evidence with practice on a range of specific and general types of developmental delays across the spectrum of childhood and young life. A wealth of suggestions on improving clinical skills is complemented by rich case material, and will be of great interest to practitioners of health, social care and educational background.