Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Clinical and Scientific Foundations

Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Clinical and Scientific Foundations Edited by Michael, Shevell . International Review of Child Neurology Series Mac Keith Press , 2009 , £75.00 ( Paperback ), 492 pages . ISBN 978-1-898683-67-4 This book is the 2009 volume in the venerable International Review of Child Neurology Series. It continues in the worthy tradition of volumes in this series, which have dealt with many important topics in developmental neurology. This multi-authored text is edited by Professor Michael Shevell from McGill University in Canada and has the broad and ambitious goal of bringing the various aspects of clinical pediatric neuroscience into a single volume. In this regard, the book clearly achieves its goal and can be judged a success. The book is divided into several sections and 24 chapters which cover the many dimensions of the expanding field of childhood neurodevelopmental disabilities. Professors Shevell and Annette Majnemer are experienced clinicians and prolific researchers who author or co-author a quarter of the chapters and display their range of interests, broad perspectives, and important contributions to the field. The other contributing authors are equally expert in their coverage of wide-ranging topics including epidemiology, biomedical and social risk, specific etiological categories, basic science aspects, and early intervention. Highlights include Glascoe and Marks’ informative chapter on developmental screening, the overviews by Neil and Inder on infant neuroimaging, Limperopoulos and DuPlessis on cerebellar developmental pathology, Yager and Gressens on perinatal brain injury, and Coulter’s comprehensive discussion of policies and goals in the United States for the future care of those with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Each chapter rewards the reader with valuable information including background on the topic and a summary of current understanding. The book is clinically relevant and would serve equally well as an introduction for those in training or as a review for practitioners. It can be recommended widely and will be most useful for pediatricians, neurologists, or other doctors and professionals working with children and families affected by neurodevelopmental disabilities. My only caveat relates to the discursive nature of the text given its ambitious goal and wide-ranging topics. In that sense it is not a book to read sequentially but is better taken a chapter at a time – perhaps an ideal companion on the commuter train or the bedside table.