Ebook: Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Clinical Care for Children and Young Adults

Developmental disabilities or neurodevelopmental disabilities (includes intellectual disability) are a diverse group of chronic disorders that begin at anytime during the development process (including conception, birth, and growth) up to 22 years of age and last throughout an individual’s lifetime. Major disabilities include intellectual disability, learning disabilities, communication disorders, autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy and neural tube defects.

This book is a handy guide for practicing physicians and allied health professionals, who care for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and their families. Written and edited by experts in the field engaged in the practice of developmental disabilities, this book provides a concise and easily accessible source on the subject. The consistent style, simplicity of presentation and numerous tables and figures enhance the understanding of complex concepts.

Dilip R Patel, MD, FAAP, FSAM, FAACPDM, FACSM, is professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Donald E. Greydanus MD, FAAP, FSAM, FIAP (H)is Professorof Pediatrics and Human Development at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (East Lansing, Michigan, USA) and Director of the Pediatrics Residency Program at Michigan State University/ Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies (Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA).

Hatim A Omar, MD, FAAP, Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.

Joav Merrick, MD, MMedSci, DMSc, is professor of child health and human development affiliated with Kentucky Children’s Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States. The medical director of the Health Service, Division for Mental Retardation, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem and the founder and director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Israel.

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Increasingly more and more children with developmental disabilities survive into adulthood. Pediatricians and other clinicians are called upon to care for an increasing number of children with developmental disabilities in their practice and thus there is a need for a practical guide specifically written for paediatricians and primary care clinicians that addresses major concepts of neurodevelopmental pediatrics. In the United States, the specialty training leading to a conjoint board certification by the American Board of Pediatrics and American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, requires a total of 6 years of training (2 years of pediatrics, 1 year of neurology, 18 months of child neurology, 18 months of neurodevelopmental disabilities). As of December 2006, in the US, there were 241 pediatricians and 55 child neurologists certified in the subspecialty of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Thus most of the children with developmental disabilities are seen by pediatricians and therefore it is important for these pediatricians to be well informed of common issues in the field. The 60,000 or so pediatricians in the United States (and hundreds more in other countries) are the main target audience for a practical book on neurodevelopmental pediatrics.