Synopses & Reviews
Review
"This book is a gold mine for professionals working in the burgeoning field of preschool mental health! Beginning with a rich overview of normative social, emotional, and cognitive development, the book continues with state-of-the-science chapters on the signs, symptoms, and probable causes of mental disorders that arise in the early years. Within a solid developmental framework that acknowledges the multiple forces that shape children's mental health, leading researchers and clinicians shine light on proven and promising practices in assessment and intervention, as well as unanswered questions and current controversies. My hope is that this excellent resource will be used not only by mental health practitioners, but also by the policymakers who determine whether or not young children and their families get the help they need in order to develop optimal mental health."--Martha Farrell Erickson, PhD, Harris Programs, Center for Early Education and Development, University of Minnesota
"In recent years, increased attention has been paid to identifying and understanding mental health problems in preschoolers. This superb volume is a strong testament to the advances that have occurred in both research knowledge and clinical practice. The work represented in this exciting volume will stimulate further growth in our comprehension and treatment of high-risk youngsters. This timely and important volume belongs in the libraries of graduate students and professionals in the fields of clinical psychology, developmental psychopathology, pediatrics, and psychiatry."--Dante Cicchetti, PhD, Institute of Child Development and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota
"This volume is an outstanding resource for understanding developmental psychopathology in preschool-aged children. It begins with reviews of normative preschool emotional, social, and cognitive development, and then discusses individual disorders in young children. The final section discusses treatment approaches. The contributors are all established and renowned researchers and clinicians in the preschool developmental area. This volume will be very useful for students of developmental psychology and psychopathology, early childhood mental health trainees and clinicians, and psychiatric residents and practitioners."--Robert J. Harmon, MD, Irving Harris Program in Child Development and Infant Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Review
"A milestone in understanding empirically based features of preschool psychiatric disorders has been reached with the publication of the Handbook of Preschool Mental Health...which offers significant insights on development and its influences on onset of preschool mental disorders....Sections, including those on normative development in the preschool period, mental disorders arising in the preschool period, and assessment and intervention in the preschool period, show how the integration of various processes of development form the basis of vulnerability to preschool psychiatric disorders and subsequent need for treatments appropriate to this age period....The authors are to be commended in writing these challenging chapters, which are comprehensive, clearly written, and very informative. This book is a rich source of information useful to practicing clinicians, including psychiatrists, pediatricians, family physicians, psychologists, and allied professionals, and to students of medicine."--Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
"Fills an important gap....I highly recommend this book."--Journal of Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
"Should appeal to professionals working with preschool age children. The book is well written and referenced. Chapters are clearly organized and divided into sub-headings that allow the reader to absorb 'chunked' information. Throughout the book there are informative charts that summarize characteristics of development, specifics of various assessments, and/or relevant research. The book should increase awareness of mental health in preschool age children and knowledge of age appropriate assessments, and interventions applicable to both school and home settings."--Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
"A well-written and comprehensive work, appropriate for use by clinicians and trainees in psychiatry, psychology, nursing, and social work. It is also a useful resource for others who work with young children, including early childhood educators and pediatricians. It does an excellent job of pointing out the role of child development in the assessment and treatment of preschool children. Thoughtful and thought provoking, it encourages consultation and collaboration among disciplines. This up-to-date, evidence-based volume is an excellent edition to the library of anyone who works with the preschool population."--Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology
Review
"A well-written and comprehensive work, appropriate for use by clinicians and trainees in psychiatry, psychology, nursing, and social work. It is also a useful resource for others who work with young children, including early childhood educators and pediatricians. It does an excellent job of pointing out the role of child development in the assessment and treatment of preschool children. Thoughtful and thought provoking, it encourages consultation and collaboration among disciplines."--Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology
Review
"A milestone in understanding empirically based features of preschool psychiatric disorders has been reached with the publication of the Handbook of Preschool Mental Health....Comprehensive, clearly written, and very informative."--Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Synopsis
This important volume comprehensively explores the development of psychiatric disorders in 2- to 6-year-olds, detailing how the growing empirical knowledge base may lead to improved interventions for young children and their families. Leading contributors examine advances in the conceptualization and diagnosis of early-onset disruptive disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, eating and sleeping disorders, autism, and other clinical problems. Promising treatment strategies are described, including developmentally specific behavioral and play therapies, and available evidence for their effectiveness is presented. The literature on preschool psychopharmacology is also reviewed. Throughout, the discussion is grounded in the many recent advances on normative developmental processes in the preschool period.
About the Author
Joan L. Luby, MD, is an infant/preschool psychiatrist and Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she is the founder and director of the Early Emotional Development Program. This clinical and research program focusing on mood disorders in preschool children was the first of its kind nationally. Dr. Luby has been awarded grants from the National Institute of Mental Heath and the National Alliance for Schizophrenia and Depression, which have supported her research on the phenomenology of early-onset mood disorders. She currently chairs the Infancy Committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and serves on several scientific advisory groups focused on the development of age-appropriate diagnostic criteria for preschool disorders.
Table of Contents
I. Normative Development in the Preschool Period
1. Social Development: Psychological Understanding, Self-Understanding, and Relationships, Ross A. Thompson, Rebecca Goodvin, and Sara Meyer
2. Emotional Competence: Implications for Social Functioning, Susanne A. Denham
3. Cognitive Development, Amy K. Heffelfinger and Christine Mrakotsky
II. Mental Disorders Arising in the Preschool Period
4. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Kenneth W. Steinhoff , Mark Lerner, Audrey Kapilinski, Ron Kotkin, Sharon Wigal, Robin Steinberg-Epstein, Tim Wigal, and James M. Swanson
5. Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Carol M. Rockhill, Brent R. Collett, Jon M. McClellan, and Matthew L. Speltz
6. Eating Disorders, Irene Chatoor and Deepa Khushlani
7. Anxiety Disorders, Helen Link Egger and Adrian Angold
8. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Clinical Guidelines and Research Findings, Michael S. Scheeringa
9. Sleep Disorders, Melissa M. Burnham, Erika E. Gaylor, and Thomas F. Anders
10. Mood Disorders: Phenomenology and a Developmental Emotion Reactivity Model, Joan L. Luby and Andy C. Belden
11. Attachment Disorders, Brian S. Stafford and Charles H. Zeanah
12. Autism Spectrum Disorders, Somer L. Bishop and Catherine Lord
III. Assessment and Intervention in the Preschool Period
13. Neuropsychological Assessment, Christine Mrakotsky and Amy K. Heffelfinger
14. Psychopharmacology, Joan L. Luby
15. Play Therapy: Integrating Clinical and Developmental Perspectives, Anne Leland Benham and Carol Fisher Slotnick
16. Using Play in Child-Parent Psychotherapy to Treat Trauma, Patricia Van Horn and Alicia F. Lieberman
17. Early Intervention for Autism, Susan Faja and Geraldine Dawson