Part I considers theoretical perspectives in bridging developmental neuroscience with child psychology, with the role of neuroscience furthering our understanding of the child's mental development, and a separate chapter outlines the importance of plasticity in this growth. Chapters also cover methodological issues arising from epidemiological perspectives and from psychometric concepts and issues. Methods for measuring biological brain function and structure and their particular application to child neuropsychological disorders are covered next, including ERP, PET, SPECT, MRI and fMRI...

It is often difficult to decide whether a preschool child who does not communicate effectively has a developmental disorder limited to language, has behaviors that indicate autism with or without mental deficiency, or across-the-board mental deficiency without autistic features. All of these disorders denote abnormal brain development, but standard medical and neurologic examinations and tests such as brain imaging, EEGs, and chromosome and chemical tests rarely provide an answer. Careful attention to the child's language and behavior, ability to play creatively, and analysis of...

A great deal is now known about neurofibromatosis type 1, particularly as a result of the identification of its causative gene by positional cloning. However, effective treatments for its resulting cosmetic disfigurement, impaired cognitive performance and even life-threatening malignancy remain elusive. As Dr. Korf remarks in his Foreword: "this book's cogent and thorough description of neurofibromatosis in children will take its place alongside other major clinical studies of the disorder. Dr. North] has tackled some of the more challenging issues, such as the basis for learning...

Written by child neurologists, this comprehensive, multi-authored volume on autism systematically discusses the classification, epidemiology and neurobiology of autism. Autism lacks a unique etiology or specific pathology, so the behaviorally defined social deficits, language impairments and repetitive behaviors that define autism are explored from a developmental neurology perspective. The evidence suggesting that autism is a disorder of neuronal development is reviewed by experts on the genetics, neuroanatomy and neuroradiology, neurochemistry, immunology, and neurophysiology of autism....

This book is an authoritative synthesis of the role of vitamin treatments in children with neurological disorders. It covers all the conditions seen in pediatric neurology that are treatable by vitamin supplementation and consists of up-to-date, concise reviews by an international group of experts in their specific fields. They cover biotinidase deficiency; the role of vitamins in the developing nervous system, mitochondrial disorders and autism; homocysteinuria; conditions responsive to vitamin E or riboflavin; disorders of folic acid and vitamin B12 metabolism; folinic acid responsive...