Edited by two leading authorities and written by a team of international experts in the field, this book describes the causes, course and treatment of a variety of developmental and genetic disorders, including attention-deficit disorder, fragile X syndrome and the autistic spectrum disorders. There is a particular focus on the course of disorders over time, and outcome in adulthood. Outcome is an area often overlooked in other books about developmental disorders, but is an issue of great importance to parents and carers and one that has important implications for education, health, social and employment services. As well as providing succinct and up-to-date summaries of the most recent research, the authors give clinicians practical guidelines for intervention and management with children and young adults. This book is essential reading for clinicians and psychologists, and anyone working with or caring for children with special educational needs.

'The book is essential reading for any clinician involved with children or adults with developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. I highly recommend it.' Doody's Electronic Journal
'I enjoyed this book. The twelve chapters are written by researchers in the various disorders and all convey the scholarly enthusiasm of their authors.' Infant & Child Development
'… belying its title, this covers all aspects, including aetiology, clinical presentation, and treatment. Initial doubts were soon set aside: this is a rapidly development field and I learned much that was new … I found this an easy read … I would recommend this book to everyone who has to wrestle with the diagnosis of a developmental disorder and its implications.' Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry

Patricia Howlin (dob 8.10.46) has worked in the fields of autism and other developmental disorders for many years. Published research includes articles on autism, Asperger syndrome, Down's syndrome, receptive language disorders, Williams syndrome, Turner's syndrome and Cohen syndrome. Her book Autism Preparing for Adulthood won the NASEN Special Educational Needs prize in 1997. Several articles have been reprinted in International Review volumes (e.g. year books on Advances in Research in Autism and Developmental Disorders). She is much in demand as a lecturer on autism across the world. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Editor of Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice. She is Associate Editor of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry; the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and the Journal of Applied Research in Developmental Disabilities.