This paper examines identical 12-year-old twins with language difficulties, one of whom falls into the diagnostic remit of SLI while the other does not due to IQ differences. Further diagnostic testing was carried out and their language was analysed to determine whether their diagnoses were reflected by different linguistic abilities. Results show…

There are now ample guidelines for the assessment and diagnosis of possible dementia in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and Down syndrome. However, little is known about their implementation in clinical practice. This study set out to examine the clinical practice of one key professional group, namely clinical psychologists. A…

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is popularly understood to be a condition which resides in the person. In this scenario, the school is an innocent bystander, a container for the "maladjusted child". Drawing on an ethnographic case study of one classroom, the first stage of doctoral research into the production of the…

"Institutional autism" is understood as a "learned behavior" produced by an institutional environment such as an orphanage. Some autistic-like behaviors may be adaptive in an institution, but become mal-adaptive after the child's adoption into a family. A differential diagnosis between autism as a medical condition and learned…

This paper presents a review of all patients with Down syndrome seen over a 5-year period by one consultant neurologist in general outpatient and specialist cognitive function clinics. It revealed only 7 cases in greater than 4500 general referrals (= 0.2%), all referred with suspected seizure disorders. The diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed in…

For many years there has been debate over Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and whether this condition, which commonly afflicts adolescent children, is a medical or social condition and whether it is exclusively an American phenomenon. This article reviews the basis of ADHD's definition, diagnosis, treatment, and educational…

The aim of this study was to employ the single case study approach to address unresolved issues in our understanding of Developmental Coordination Disorder. From a large cohort of clinically referred UK primary school children, six boys and one girl were selected to participate. The experiences of each child as he/she journeyed through the process…

To date there has been no comparison of father and mother report on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a standardised measure of child behaviour used widely in the UK in clinical practice and research. The objectives of the study were to investigate differences and agreement between parents on the various SDQ domains of child…

Short break services in a UK county were studied using a postal survey of 256 families with a child with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Results confirmed high degrees of stress and low levels of informal support for all families, but no significant difference in the informal support available to non-users as compared to users of short break…

The risk factors for young people with intellectual disabilities developing a mental health disorder are higher than those found in the general population, yet training is very rarely available to frontline staff. A recent study in the United Kingdom cited prevalence rates of mental ill health among adults with intellectual disabilities ranging…

Introduction: The present study reports cross-cultural comparisons of body mass index (BMI) and growth in Prader-Willi syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with obesity, growth restriction and mild learning disability. Our objectives were to: (1) compare rates of obesity in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in France, with data…

Objective: To evaluate the psychological impact of receiving a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood and treatment with medication and to examine how diagnosis and treatment with medication changes an individual's self-perception and view of the future. Method: Participants were eight individuals diagnosed with ADHD at a tertiary service. Semistructured…

Background: Some young children reared in profoundly depriving institutions have been found to show autistic-like patterns, but the developmental significance of these features is unknown. Methods: A randomly selected, age-stratified, sample of 144 children who had experienced an institutional upbringing in Romania and who were adopted by UK…

As part of research undertaken by the first author, a survey of schools was carried out in one local education authority (LEA) in order to gather information about pupils diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). All mainstream and special schools and pupil referral units were approached and a response rate of 94% was…

Examined referral for psychiatric assessment of 17 adolescent self-mutilators attending Accident and Emergency Department for treatment of self-inflicted injuries and their previous attendance at casualty department in 5 years preceding the event. Findings suggest that repeated attendance at casualty department for apparently trivial or no…