Handbook Of Mental Retardation

This book reviews theoretical and empirical work in the developmental approach to mental retardation. Armed with methods derived from the study of typically developing children, developmentalists have recently learned about the mentally retarded child's own development in a variety of areas. These areas now encompass many aspects of cognition, language, social and adaptive functioning, as well as of maladaptive behavior and psychopathology. In addition to a focus on individuals with mental retardation themselves, familial and other "ecological" factors have influenced developmental approaches to mental retardation. Comprised of twenty-seven chapters on various aspects of development, this handbook provides a timely, comprehensive guide to understanding mental retardation and development.

This book provides easy-to-access, reliable, up-to-date information on the numerous advances in research, assessment, treatment, and service delivery for clinicians, academics, administrators and other mental health professionals. It examines issues surrounding intellectual and developmental disabilities in a real-world sociopolitical framework. In addition, the book summarizes the major domains and emerging subspecialties of this vast area into one useful reference and so offers a wide range of assessment and diagnostic tools and tactics, including cognitive and adaptive behavior assessments.

This volume aims to provide the reader with a contemporary account of his torical, diagnostic, treatment-management (including the individual and the service systems perspectives), and training dimensions of mentally ill/mentally retarded individuals from interdisciplinary perspectives. Emphasis is placed on current and evolving aspects of this topic. The broad scope of our approach is consistent with the concepts and practices that currently typify this topical area of clinical and research activity. This volume is divided into five sections. Part I deals with the definitional aspects: the nature and incidence, the historical aspects, and a view of assessing the types of needs of mentally ill/mentally retarded individuals. Part II ad dresses the key issues in treatment intervention: from an individual therapeutic aspect through vocational considerations, as well as the role of the parents in these helping processes. Part III focuses on systems of service delivery, ranging from inpatient and day treatment models to the delivery of services in the home; at all times, the emphasis is on programs that have been successful. Part IV presents a modern perspective on the multiple challenges in training both men tal health and mental retardation specialists, as well as the critical dimension of providing a well-trained cadre of paraprofessionals in both fields. And finally, Part V encompasses key current research perspectives as well as possible future directions for this rapidly growing area of professional interest and involve ment.

The development of behavior modification principles and procedures and the ensuing research have had a dramatic impact on services for mentally re tarded persons. This book is the second edition of a volume that is designed to update readers on some of these many developments. Although many of the chapter titles and authors from the first edition remain unchanged, we have added additional chapters to reflect new areas of research. The book is thus a critical review of this literature and, as such, provides essential and important notions about what we know and what can be done to expand our current knowledge. The authors of the chapters are all recognized experts who have been active in publishing in the research areas they critique. As a result, they have a good understanding of what are the major issues in the field. And because they are also active in service provision to persons with identified handicaps, their material will be especially useful to practitioners and, it is hoped, to those_ professionals who are working in the field in estab lishing data-based treatments. One important change in the field has concerned the terminology used to We are aware that persons with mental retar describe handicapped persons. dation are no longer referred to as "the mentally retarded," and although no disrespect is intended, for the sake of continuity the original title has been retained on the advice of the publisher.

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.