Diagnosing Learning Disorders, Second Edition: A Neuropsychological Framework by Bruce F. Pennington

Product Details

Synopsis

From a trusted expert in the field, this authoritative work provides an accessible overview of what learning disorders are, how they develop, and how to diagnose and treat them effectively. The author presents the most current neuroscientific knowledge on a range of conditions, including dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and others. Practitioners gain vital insights and tools for making sense of children's impairments and strengths, collecting and interpreting diagnostic data from a variety of sources, and linking diagnosis to evidence-based interventions. The second edition has been substantially revised and expanded to reflect significant clinical and research advances.

New to This Edition

*Covers additional disorders: intellectual disability, mathematics disorder, and developmental coordination disorder, plus a chapter on less well-validated disorders.

*New case illustrations and a focus on empirically based practice.

*Now grounded in a multiple cognitive-deficit model of learning disorders, replacing the prior edition's modular, single-deficit model.

*An illuminating chapter on controversial therapies separates myths from facts.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Christopher J. Graver, PhD (Madigan Army Medical Center)
Description:Dr. Pennington has long been at the forefront of learning disabilities research and clinical practice and this book is meant to be an authoritative text on learning disorders.
Purpose:With an expanded, multiple-deficit model, this second edition of a seminal work significantly updates the literature in this area.
Audience:It is intended for specialists working with children who have learning disorders. This may include developmental neuropsychologists, child psychologists, and school psychologists, among many others. The editor is a well published expert in this field who has gathered many other outstanding authors to contribute.
Features:Short introductory chapters define relevant terms at a basic level. Well validated and questionable disorders are discussed, and disorders without clear empirical support are critiqued. From this point on, chapters increase in length and delve deeper into particular disorders, covering epidemiology, etiology, and comorbidities. The book also covers developmental trajectories, neuropsychological findings, and treatment recommendations. Case examples are replete throughout and help to translate research findings into clinical practice. Evidence-based practice and controversial treatments are covered in more detail in the final chapters. The index is helpful and the references clearly have been updated.
Assessment:The first edition of this book was an authoritative source of information on learning disorders. This second edition carries on that tradition with a wide variety of evidence-basedinformation and is well worth owning, given the significant updates. This is a superb example of a book worthy of the attention of both students and seasoned clinicians.

Biography

Bruce F. Pennington, PhD, is a developmental neuropsychologist who has earned an international reputation for his research on dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism. He has published 163 articles in refereed journals and was selected to appear on ISIHighlyCited.com because of his exceptional citation count in the field of Psychology/Psychiatry. He is particularly interested in using genetic and neuropsychological methods to understand comorbidity among disorders. Dr. Pennington is a John Evans Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver, where he heads the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Program. His honors include Research Scientist, MERIT, and Fogarty awards from the National Institutes of Health; the Samuel T. Orton Award from the International Dyslexia Association; and the Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture from the British Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition to being a researcher and research mentor, Dr. Pennington is also a child clinical neuropsychologist, and has been active in clinical practice and training throughout his career.