Developmental Disabilities from Childhood to Adulthood: What Works for Psychiatrists in Community and Institutional Settings

With appropriate planning, care, and support, persons who have developmental disabilities can live full and healthy lives. Developmental Disabilities from Childhood to Adulthood gives psychiatrists the tools and information they need to help their patients do just that. This practical guide addresses the special needs of developmentally disabled individuals throughout the life span, from childhood to midlife to old age.

The contributors to the volume, all with extensive expertise in working with persons with developmental disabilities, cover such topics as education; community integration; psychopathology and behavior; ethical, legal, and social issues; and systems management and advocacy. They discuss in detail the specific needs of special populations, including persons who have autism spectrum disorders, mental retardation, or brain injury, and describe practical approaches to assessing and treating affected individuals and working with other health care providers and systems of care.

Developmental Disabilities from Childhood to Adulthood is a must-have reference for psychiatrists working with developmentally disabled patients of all ages.

Contributors: Joel D. Bregman, M.D., Northshore–Long Island Jewish Health System; Robin P. Church, Ed.D., Kennedy Krieger Institute; John M. de Figueiredo, M.D., ScD., Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine; Derek Glaaser, Ed.D., Kennedy Krieger Institute High School Career and Technology Center; Alison A. Golombek, M.D., Seattle Children’s Hospital; Stephanie Hamarman, M.D., New York Medical College; Craig H. Kennedy, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University; Bryan King, M.D., Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington; Judith M. Levy, M.S.W., M.A., Kennedy Krieger Institute; Janet A. Martin, M.D., Ph.D., private practice and Optimum Performance Institute; Gregory J. O’Shanick, M.D., Center for Neurorehabilitation Services; Ronald C. Savage, Ed.D., North American Brain Injury Society; Ramakrishnan S. Shenoy, M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine; Karen Toth, Ph.D., Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington; Maureen van Stone, Esq., M.S., Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service

Roxanne C. Dryden-Edwards, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist with Glasser Medical and Psychiatric Associates and in private practice in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Dr. Dryden-Edwards was formerly an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a senior psychiatrist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute's High School.

Lee Combrinck-Graham, M.D., is a clinical associate professor of child psychiatry at Yale Child Study Center and editor of Children in Family Contexts: Perspectives on Treatment and Children and Families at Risk: Keeping the Connections.