Christopher J. McDougle - Böcker

The Primer on Autism Spectrum Disorder provides a quick yet comprehensive overview of clinically-relevant topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for the medical or mental health student, trainee, or recent graduate who seeks efficient learning. Chapters are designed to give an overview of a topic area in real time while on a rotation; while studying for professional board examinations in primary care, pediatrics, neurology or psychiatry; or even during preparation for a presentation or discussion scheduled to occur the next day. The sections include Background and Diagnostic Assessment, Etiology, Treatment, and Other Care Delivery Services and Perspectives, with each chapter written by an internationally recognized expert in the field. The chapters on diagnosis and treatment are written from a practical "how to" perspective. Those on etiology are written with the clinician in mind. These clinically-focused chapters include one or more vignettes that present simulated patient cases designed to highlight teaching points related to each chapter's content area. The book ends with a chapter written by family members of individuals with ASD and another written by an adult with ASD that illustrate the human impact these disorders have on day-to-day lives, hopes, and dreams. At the end of each chapter, "Key Points" for summarizing the intended take home messages of each author/authors are listed.

Children and adults with developmental disabilities are at increased risk for experiencing behavioral problems and psychiatric comorbidities compared to the general population and several neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with certain neuropsychiatric conditions. Because of language and cognitive differences, the clinical presentation of these conditions can differ from what is seen in the general population. Furthermore, research on treatment approaches for psychiatric comorbidities in these populations is extremely limited and evidence-based treatment guidelines do not exist.  This book is a collection of neurodevelopmental disorders that are frequently associated with relatively distinct and common psychiatric co-morbidities across the lifespan. Each chapter addresses a different neurodevelopmental disorder by providing an overview, symptoms of common psychiatric co-morbidities, assessment strategies, psychosocial and biological treatments, and common medical co-morbidities the clinician needs to have basic knowledge of with regards to choosing safe and appropriate pharmacotherapy. Given how relatively rare many of these syndromes are, the practicing clinician generally does not encounter a sufficient number of cases during training or clinical practice to develop comfort and expertise in each of them. Furthermore, there are no easy to access evidence-based treatment guidelines. This succinct and practical resource fills a needed gap for an overview of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in a single resource with a clinical expert’s approach to diagnosis and management.