Developmental Speech and Language Disorders (Child psychopathology series) Book

Professionals concerned with linguistically-impaired children have long recognized the broad range of disturbances associated with language disorders. The global nature and severity of the difficulties faced by these children is evidenced by the variety of professionals who often become involved with their treatment. Yet, despite the many ramifications of language impairment, no book until now has dealt with speech and language disorders from a psychiatric perspective. Representing a decade of fruitful collaboration between a psycholinguist and a child psychiatrist, Developmental Speech and Language Disorders provides clinically useful information in a uniquely accessible format. This book first outlines the course of normal speech and language development, then provides a complete review of assessment methods to diagnose childhood syndromes involving language. Although clinically oriented, the volume does not focus so much on ``how to' assess, diagnose, and treat language impaired children, but rather ``how to approach' observation, selection of assessment procedures, interpretation of assessment results, differential diagnosis, and the establishment of treatment goals. The initial three chapters present a complete introduction to speech and language disorders. Case illustrations then follow graphically illustrate the evaluation of presenting complaints, the fashioning of diagnoses, and establishment of appropriate treatment plans. Interventions discussed include parent language stimulation, types of speech-language therapy, methods of facilitating educational achievement, and psychiatric interventions. Special tables provide quick reference to major developmental milestones and handy ``signals' of speech and language disorders. This volume brings to clinicians from all backgrounds a framework for interdisciplinary integration of speech and language disorders. For universal accessibility, the terminology used in the book accommodates the fields of speech/language pathology, psychology, and psychiatry as well as related areas in medicine and education. Professionals in any of these fields who deal with linguistically impaired children will find Developmental Speech and Language Disorders to be a highly readable and eminently useful clinical tool. Read More