Pediatric Intellectual Disabilities at School: Translating Research into Practice

This book synthesizes the most current evidence-based research and practices on prevention, assessment, intervention, and treatment of pediatric intellectual developmental disabilities. It provides a broad empirical framework for innovative practices and discusses their possible impact on children’s future development, ability to learn, social skills, and quality of life. The book highlights important findings in cognitive and behavioral development for children with such disorders as 22q13 Deletion syndrome (i.e., Phelan McDermid syndrome), Prader-Willi syndrome, Williams syndrome, and sex chromosome disorders (e.g., Klinefelter syndrome) – children often considered untestable, unteachable, and unknowable. In addition, the book includes case studies that emphasize a team approach with physicians, families, school psychologists, and teachers for providing quality research-based psychological, educational, and mental health services.

Topics featured in this book include:

• Up-to-date findings on the causes and symptoms of intellectual disability disorders.
  
• Common medical treatments for children with intellectual disabilities.
  
• Therapeutic interventions for children with intellectual disabilities.
  
• Psychoeducational assessment practices for children requiring special education assistance.
  
• Future directions to support people with intellectual disabilities.

Pediatric Intellectual Disabilities at School is a must-have resource for researchers, graduate students, and other professionals in child and school psychology, psychiatry, social work, special and general education, public health, and counseling.

Steven R. Shaw is associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University in Montreal. He earned a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Florida in 1991. At McGill University, he is director of the Resilience, Pediatric Psychology and Neurogenetic Connections Lab and co-director of the McGill Developmental Research Lab. Before entering academia, he had 17 years of experience as a school psychologist in school, hospital, medical school, and independent practice. From 1997 to 2004, he served as lead psychologist and associate professor of pediatrics at The Children's Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina (developmental pediatrics and pediatric oncology units) and Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Shaw is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. His current research work focuses on improving methods of implementation of innovative ideas and evidence-based practices in education, improving instruction for children with borderline intellectual functioning and intellectual disabilities, and improving education for children with acute and chronic medical problems. He has over 220 scholarly publications and presentations and has published four books. He co-edited (with Paul McCabe) the Pediatric School Psychology book series for NASP/Corwin Press (2010). He is co-editor (with Andrea Cantor and Leslie Paige) of the book Helping Children in Home and School, 3rd edition (NASP 2010). He is on the editorial board of six international scholarly journals, Editor of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology, and is the former editor of School Psychology Forum.

Anna M. Jankowska is assistant professor in the Institute of Psychology at the University of Gdańsk and adjunct assistant professor at City University of New York Brooklyn College. She earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Gdańsk. Her doctoral thesis investigated cognitive and psychosocial development of children with borderline intellectual functioning, for which she received multiple awards. Her research interests are in the field of developmental and educational psychology and she holds interests in education and school adaptation of students with developmental delays with special emphasis on the development of self-regulation. In parallel to her academic career, she has 10 years of clinical work experience with children with developmental and neurodevelopmental disabilities while practicing in numerous settings. In addition, she is also dedicated to therapeutic work with foster care families and children who experienced trauma and abuse. Her professional and academic experience has been international. Dr. Jankowska participated in exchange programs, international internships, served as a visiting scholar in foreign research centres, and has lectured at various universities, including Spain (University of Santiago de Compostela, University de Complutense de Madrid, Canada (McGill University) and US (Brooklyn College). She is a member of European Association of Developmental Psychology, Polish Psychology Association, National Association of School Psychologists and serves on the editorial board of several international scholarly journals.