Behavioural Phenotypes in Clinical Practice

Clinics in Developmental Medicine No. 157

Clinicians, educators and other specialists who work with young people with intellectual disabilities are increasingly aware of the extent to which their clients' behaviours are shaped by the respective causal syndrome. This book is a practical response to the need for interventions and ongoing care programmes to take account of this within the context of coordinated multimodal case planning. An international team of experts drawn from child health, special education, psychology, psychiatry and related disciplines explores general principles of case management, in addition to giving consideration to a large number of individual syndromes, resulting in a comprehensive review of the subject. All of the authors have been involved in original research on the themes explored, and in the development of coherent service responses to the challenges posed by behavioural phenotypes. This will be essential reading for all professionals engaged in the care and management of people with intellectual disabilities.

This book is a practical resource for interventions and ongoing care to manage behaviours of young people with intellectual disabilities.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Shiraz Butt, MD(Rush University Medical Center)
Description:This book provides information about behavior associated with genetic disorders. The behavioral phenotypes are a characteristic pattern of motor, cognitive, linguistic and social observations and is consistently associated with a biological disorder. In some cases the behavioral phenotype may constitute a psychiatric disorder, in others, behaviors which are not usually regarded as symptoms of psychiatric diagnoses may occur.
Purpose:By identifying the behavioral phenotypes, potential areas of intervention are identified such as physio-therapeutic intervention for motor functioning; education program planning to address or ameliorate cognitive deficits; speech and language therapeutic attention to linguistic functioning; or a behavioral program designed to address some issues in social or interpersonal functioning. These indeed are worthy objectives and the book meets the objectives well.
Audience:The intended audience is clinicians, educators (special education teachers), caretakers of individuals with behavioral phenotypes, parents of individuals with behavioral phenotypes and respite workers.
Features:Common behaviors associated with genetic disorders are considered in detail, including self injury, aggressive behaviors, autistic characteristics, and sleep disorders. The developmental needs of an individual with certain behavioral phenotypes are stressed at length. There are chapters devoted to designing management strategies to address these patterns of development. Extensive references are included regarding every aspect involved in not only identifying behavioral phenotypes but also for intervention and measurement of functional outcome.
Assessment:The behavioral phenotypes are defined well for the understanding of not only clinicians but also individuals involved in providing care and education to persons with genetic disorders. The management strategies are described thoroughly and well. The previous edition focused on behavioral characteristics of a range of syndromes. In this book, the management implications of behavioral phenotypes is the main focus. New information with references on the respective behavioral phenotypes is also detailed.