Review of Children and the law.

Reviews the book, Children and the law by Jeffrey Wilson and Mary Tomlinson (1986). This book is divided into nine chapters focusing on almost all aspects of law that affect children including: custody and access issues, child protection and adoption, family support, property and civil participation, the child in the courtroom, crime and the child, children in education, and the child as an immigrant. The book Children and the Law is indispensible for both lawyers involved with children before the court as well as mental health professionals working with children. I know of no other accounts that are available that delve into the specifics related to legislation that are as highly readable and thorough as this account provided by Wilson and Tomlinson. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Autism: New Directions in Research and Education.

Reviews the book, Autism: New Directions in Research and Education by Christopher D. Webster, M. Mary Konstantareas, Joel Oxman, and Judith E. Mack ( 1980). Autism: New Directions in Research and Education is an important and often intriguing collection of formal and informal papers presenting a view of autism as a severe, extensive and perhaps particular communication disorder. Of the twenty-five papers included in the volume, only three were not written by one of the four editors as at least a co-author. While this factor undoubtedly adds to the cumulative power of the volume, it may also have influenced the inclusion of several general papers, such as how to write a scientific report, which are only tangentially related to the specialty topic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Conflict and language planning in Quebec.

Reviews the book, Conflict and language planning in Quebec by Richard Y. Bourhis. This monograph, edited by Bourhis, makes a distinct contribution to scholarship in the area of Language Policy/Language Planning (LP) in general, and more specifically, to research in that area within Canada. Work in this area is almost always collaboratively undertaken and involves individuals from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. These trends are evident in the present monograph. The major contributions of this monograph are threefold: first, it leads to a better understanding of the language situation in Quebec; secondly, it describes clearly three of the four major components of LP activities--planning, policy formulation and implementation; and thirdly, authors present an interesting array of methodological techniques not typically used by many LP researchers, by which one can further investigate empirically reactions or responses to language policy change in various settings. The attractiveness of the monograph derives from the interesting and clear account of a major planned social change within the province of Quebec which has had provincial and national implications for concerned Canadian residents, but which more importantly has had immediate implications--at both theoretical and applied levels--for language policy scholars throughout the world. This monograph comprises a welcome addition to the rapidly growing literature which examines the role of language in national development. It provides careful documentation of a fascinating case study of one set of events that have been carefully chronicled by well-trained scholars from diverse disciplinary perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Affective disorders in childhood and adolescence: An update.

Reviews the book, Affective disorders in childhood and adolescence: An update edited by Dennis P. Cantwell and Gabrielle A. Carlson (1983). Accounts of affective disorders among children and adolescents have become increasingly more apparent in the literature in recent years. This book is largely an attempt on the part of its editors, Dennis P. Cantwell and Gabrielle A. Carlson, to acknowledge this growing trend. In particular, Cantwell and Carlson state as their main goal a desire to collect in one place much of what is known about depression and mania in children and adolescents. Overall, it may be stated that this book is a valuable addition to the literature. In addition to calling attention in a systematic fashion to the growing body of information pertinent to depression in children and adolescents, the text communicates the need for further research that may serve to clarify many of the questions that remain unanswered at the present time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The sociogenesis of language and human conduct.

Reviews the book, The sociogenesis of language and human conduct edited by Bruce Bain. It is no mean task to set forth in a few paragraphs what it is that Bain has attempted to do in preparing this book, and to assess the extent to which he has been successful. A glance at the number of pages will provide an initial clue to the problem; this is an omnibus consisting of thirty-two separate essays and a poetic epilogue. To borrow Professor Bain's own words, it is "a multidisciplinary book of readings addressed to various aspects of the theme that the genesis--the origins and development--of language and human conduct are to be found in the practical or social relations between people...an attempt to accelerate the process of adopting an integrative approach to the study of language by focusing on a general position which has already played a significant role in this process, namely sociogenesis." This is a lengthy book and I suspect that it could have been edited down to a more manageable size. The chapters need not be read in any given order--I found that the editor's attempt to structure them under four headings was not particularly successful. In spite of these reservations, and a plethora of typographical errors as well as the odd dismal chapter, the book is an exciting one. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Blackwell handbook of language development.

Reviews the book Blackwell handbook of language development, edited by Erika Hoff and Marilyn Shatz (see record 2007-00509-000). This book focuses on charting language development across monolingual and bilingual contexts for both typical and atypical learners. Rather than arranging discussions around each language component (which at times, might make for more efficient reading), the book successfully captures the complexities of language development across time. Part 1 of the handbook covers the organic and environmental bases of language development and theories that have been posited to explain this development. Part 2 tackles language learning during infancy, highlighting the fact that the abilities of the infant and the richness of the input result, almost invariably, in language acquisition. Part 3 of the handbook covers early childhood language development. Part 4 covers language development after early childhood, when most developing children learn and master a more sophisticated language use. Finally, Part 5 talks about language development in special populations. Chapters here discuss issues such as the relationship between the development of language and other abilities as well as the organic factors that hinder typical language development. This section also touches on what is yet to be discovered; for example, the link between IQ and language development in special populations. This handbook offers detailed information on topics in language development that have long fascinated researchers and practitioners in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The link between childhood trauma and mental illness.

Reviews the book, The link between childhood trauma and mental illness by Barbara Everett and Ruth Gallop (see record 2000-16130-000). This is a very useful book, particularly for novice practitioners and front-line workers who may not have had a supervised experience dealing with abused individuals. The authors set out to provide a practical guide to the care of individuals who have experienced abuse (both sexual and physical) as children, and who present themselves as adults to mental health practitioners, in particular to those who are not practicing in specialized trauma clinics. I believe they have succeeded in their goal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Conducting child custody evaluations: A comprehensive guide.

Reviews the book, Conducting child custody evaluations: A comprehensive guide by Philip Michael Stahl (see record 1994-98484-000). In this book, the author details how the courts benefit from custody evaluations, how the family benefits, when evaluations could actually be harmful, and offers some particularly unique and useful suggestions on evaluator biases. He brings up the interesting issue of who is the real client/consumer. He understands that the client really cannot be the child independent of his/her family, even though we all mourn the cliche, "best interests of the child," as if this phrase were some operationally clear "guideline." A main author bias is "the best parenting is achieved with two parents" (p. 25). There is at least some research evidence (and clinical experience) that would dispute this in more cases than the author might care to acknowledge. A second bias is that children must perceive that their parents can develop a post-divorce relationship free of hostility in which each parent is a champion for the other. Stahl displays a keen understanding of the dynamics of the post-divorce world. In his heart, he seems more a therapist than an "objective evaluator" and harbors a strong bias to help people move productively through the crises that are everywhere in evidence in post-divorce situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Making contact: Uses of language in psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Making contact: Uses of language in psychotherapy by Leston Havens (see record 1986-97288-000). Drawing on ideas from psychoanalytic, existential, and interpersonal theories, the author has provided a thought-provoking and practical book about how to reach, affect, and influence the distant or absent patient through language. This book is not only thought-provoking and practical but also a pleasure to read; Havens possesses a graceful literary style that is vivid, witty, and filled with fresh metaphors. Havens avoids traditional terminology for describing the more disturbed patient in favor of a personal and less objectifying way of speaking. Havens has provided a framework for conceptualizing how language can be used in a disciplined and powerful way to locate the lost selves of our patients. By calling attention to how we speak, he reminds us that language, used empathically and authentically, is the most powerful tool we have to bridge the often wide chasm between us and our patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychophysiological disorders: Research and clinical applications.

Reviews the book, Psychophysiological disorders: Research and clinical applications by Robert L. Gatchel and Edward B. Blanchard (see record 1994-97036-000). This text assumes the approach of the selective presentation of diseases and disorders with a high morbidity rate. Headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis are discussed by contributing authors, and the reader is provided with concise overviews of salient literature and access to adequate reference sections for expanding clinical and empirical interest. The reader is immediately impressed not only with the expertise and efforts of editor and contributors but also, inevitably, with critical areas which are not covered in this text. This is a useful resource for any clinician treating medically ill patients, and some would justifiably argue that since the disorders and conditions are endemic to the human organism, no patient can be treated without an awareness of the incidence, prevalence, and presentation of the disease processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Philosophy and ordinary language: The bent and genius of our tongue.

Reviews the book, Philosophy and ordinary language: The bent and genius of our tongue by Oswald Hanfling (2000). This book is in the Routledge Series in 20th Century Philosophy and it is a distinguished contribution to that series. It is in its own way an exemplary exercise in philosophical acumen and clarity. In thirteen chapters the reader is paced carefully through what are often the tares and snares of contemporary analytical philosophy, but for the express purpose of defending "ordinary language" philosophy against charges of inadequacy. As the expression goes, if you have time to read only one book this year on the vexed question of meaning, this is the one. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Assessing and treating culturally diverse clients: A practical guide.

Reviews the book, Assessing and treating culturally diverse clients: A practical guide by Freddy A. Panaigua (see record 1996-97152-000). This book is a timely and provocative delineation of highly relevant considerations to be made by counselors, psychotherapists, and other mental health professionals in the delivery of services to multicultural groups. The book deals with four ethnic populations in the United States—African American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian. Panaigua's contribution is part of a series on Multicultural Aspects of Counseling by Sage Publications. The purpose of the series is to increase the mental health practitioner's knowledge and sensitivity to cultural differences and to assist in alleviating bias in the therapeutic process. This purpose is accomplished with precision and insight by Panaigua. Unlike some other books dealing with cultural diversity, Panaigua's work offers specific treatment methods which have been demonstrated to be successful in treating members of the targeted groups. Problem solving and social skills training are recommended in some cases. In other instances, assertiveness training, music therapy, or direct advice are the modalities of choice. In other cases, education, medication, or behavioral approaches are preferred. Assessing and Treating Culturally Diverse Clients can serve the educational needs of graduate students in the fields of psychology, counseling, family therapy, and social work. It is an excellent guide for use in either the training or practice of these helping professions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students: A practical guide.

Reviews the book, Assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students: A practical guide by Robert L. Rhodes, Salvador Hector Ochoa, and Samuel O. Ortiz (see record 2006-12379-000). This book provides school practitioners with a practical guide to the assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children that may help reduce inappropriate referral and placement practices. The book is divided the book into three sections, the first of which focuses on the demographic, legal, and educational issues related to CLD students. The second section takes on a practical, "how to" approach to assessment. The final section proposes an integrated format for assessing cognitive and academic ability. This book is unique in that it provides a practical "how to" handbook of multicultural assessment with the culturally and linguistically diverse learner. The book is well-organized and presented in a logical manner. It begins with a clearly defined problem (i.e., disproportionality of CLD students in special education) and provides a comprehensive discussion on related background information. The authors then take the next step by providing suggestions and information that will help the professional take ownership of and change the problem. This book will be a helpful tool for providing the practitioner with information related to the disproportion of CLD students in special education. This book's foundation in current research, practical suggestions, and reproducible materials make it a worthy edition to any practitioner's library. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Recollections of trauma: Scientific evidence and clinical practice.

Reviews the book, Recollections of trauma: Scientific evidence and clinical practice edited by J. Donald Read and D. Stephen Lindsay (1997). This book is a serious and ambitious attempt to bring various forms of professional expertise to bear on the vexed issue of psychotherapeutically recovered versus false memories of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. The volume is the outcome of a NATO Advanced Studies Institute (ASI) that took place over an 11-day period at Les Jardins de l'Atlantique in France. It reflects the input of no fewer than 95 participants, most of them psychologists, with a minority of contributors from other relevant fields such as anthropology and the legal profession. The explicit aim of this collaborative undertaking was to promote productive dialogue among the various stakeholders in the recovered memory debate, especially among researchers and clinicians, whose views on these issues are often highly divergent. The final product bears witness to the successful achievement of this aim. This volume will stand as a definitive reference on the topic of recovered memory for the more serious researchers in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches.

Reviews the book, Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches edited by Robert J. McMahon and Ray Dev. Peters (1985). This volume includes 11 original chapters from the 1983 Banff International Conference on Behavioral Sciences. Together, these chapters provide an overview of a number of high-quality programmes of research in the area of childhood disorders. The editors state that the purpose of the current offering is to focus on recent advances in the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of childhood behaviour disorders, with particular attention being given to the role of developmental processes. The book contains two major sections. The first provides an overview of the conceptual foundations for a "behavioural-developmental" approach to childhood disorders. The second, which constitutes approximately 80% of the volume, illustrates programmes for the assessment and treatment of childhood disorders spanning the developmental spectrum from infancy to adolescence. Although this volume's attempt to bridge the gap between behavioural and developmental work may fall short, it is nevertheless a worthwhile contribution that nicely illustrates a range of outstanding programmes of clinical research for a variety of childhood disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of interpersonal psychoanalysis and Pioneers of interpersonal psychoanalysis.

Reviews the books, Handbook of interpersonal psychoanalysis, edited by Marylou Lionells, John Fiscalini, Carola H. Mann, and Donnel B. Stern (see record 1995-99011-000) and Pioneers of interpersonal psychoanalysis, edited by Donnel B. Stern, Carola H. Mann, Stuart Kantor, and Gary Schlesinger (see record 1995-99013-000). Of all the principal psychoanalytic schools in contemporary America--Freudian or classical, object relations, self psychological, and interpersonal--the last has stood at the greatest remove from orthodoxy, in part because its founders, most notably Sullivan and Fromm, were not closely linked to the institutional centers. The growing emphasis of world analysis on relational experience, however, as both an influence on personality development and with important implications for treatment, has thrown most of the schools closer together, and the rich contributions of the so-called interpersonalists have made this proximity of even greater importance. The two books prompting these remarks are the most complete and forthright statements of the interpersonal position available. They provide an opportunity to review this position, its gradually emergent effects on clinical work particularly, and the problems and possible solutions resulting. Of course, this interpersonal effort at understanding both treatment and the self does not complete the story. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)