Managing Attention and Learning Disorders in Late Adolescence and Adulthood: A Guide for Practitioners

Until recently, scant consideration was given to the impact of learning and attention disorders throughout the lifespan. Fortunately, the rising tide of popular concern, coupled with recent federal regulations regarding disabled adults, has fueled new research into these areas. As a consequence, there is now little doubt that LD and ADHD often persist throughout a person's life and can pose serious personal, social, vocational, and emotional impediments. It is also clear that many of the concepts and strategies used in assessing and treating children with these problems do not apply to adults.

Written by one of North America's leading authorities in the field of attention and learning disorders, this book provides researchers and practitioners with the first comprehensive review of the impact of attention and learning disorders on adults. Just as important, it arms them with practical guidelines for the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of these disorders.

In Part I, Dr. Goldstein explores the relationship between LD, ADHD, and various psychiatric disorders and traces their course and outcome in late adolescence. He compares and contrasts leading theories and conceptual models of LD and ADHD and reviews the research concerning the academic, vocational, personal, and psychiatric status of adults with histories of LD and ADHD. He then introduces a multidisciplinary model for evaluating the academic, psychological, neuropsychological, and emotional status of adults with histories of learning disabilities.

In Part II, Dr. Goldstein and other well-known authors critically assess current treatment and support strategies. Among topics covered in-depth are medical and nonmedical interventions, the latest drug therapies, contemporary vocational programs for individuals with histories of attention and learning disorders, college programs and services available to attention and learning disabled adults, and the legal rights of attention and learning disabled adults.

Managing Attention and Learning Disorders in Late Adolescence and Adulthood is a valuable resource for clinical psychologists, counselors, social workers, and all other mental health professionals.

Praise for other works by Sam Goldstein . . .Understanding and Managing Children's Classroom Behavior: A Biopsychological Approach

". . . it will make a contribution to the fields of education and mental health and to our understanding of children with special needs." --Robert Brooks, PhD, Director Department of Psychology, McClean Hospital

Managing Attention Disorders in Children: A Guide for Practitioners

". . . a well-written, extremely readable addition to the literature on ADHD." --Journal of Clinical Psychology

Hyperactivity: Why Won't My Child Pay Attention?: A Complete Guide to ADD for Parents, Teachers, and Community Agencies

"An excellent resource for parents who want to know about the basics of ADD . . . practical information presented in a straightforward manner." --Harvey Parker, PhD Executive Director and Cofounder, CHADD

"I was impressed with the very optimistic tone of the book, which reframed ADHD as 'risk-taking' . . . As a clinician intimately involved in the day-to-day treatment of ADHD children and their families, I know how helpful it will be to so many people involved with ADHD children . . ." --Barbara Ingersoll, PhD Clinical Director, Montgomery Child and Family Health Services

SAM GOLDSTEIN, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and is certified as a developmental disabilities evaluator in the State of Utah. Since 1982, he has worked in private practice as part of a multidisciplinary team providing evaluation, case management, and treatment services for children and adults with histories of neurological disease and trauma, learning disability, adjustment difficulties, and attention deficit disorder. In addition, he is a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Adjunct Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah; a staff psychologist at the University of Utah Primary Children's Hospital; a member of the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute; and a member of the Developmental Disabilities Clinic in the University of Utah Medical School Department of Psychiatry.

A prolific author, Dr. Goldstein has written or co-written guides for parents and teachers dealing with child development, attention problems and brain injury, numerous published articles, and several books, including: Handbook of Neuro-developmental and Genetic Disorders in Children; Lonely, Sad, and Angry: The Parent's Guide to Childhood Depression; Understanding and Managing Children's Classroom Behavior: A Biopsychological Approach; Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities: Myths, Realities, and Controversial Treatments; and, with Michael Goldstein, Hyperactivity: Why Won't My Child Pay Attention?: A Complete Guide to ADD for Parents, Teachers, and Community Agencies and Managing Attention Disorders in Children: A Guide for Practitioners.