Diagnosing Learning Disorders, Second Edition: A Neuropsychological Framework » (2nd Edition)

Bruce F. Pennington, PhD, is a developmental neuropsychologist who has earned an international reputation for his research on dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism. He has published 163 articles in refereed journals and was selected to appear on ISIHighlyCited.com because of his exceptional citation count in the field of Psychology/Psychiatry. He is particularly interested in using genetic and neuropsychological methods to understand comorbidity among disorders. Dr. Pennington is a John Evans Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver, where he heads the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Program. His honors include Research Scientist, MERIT, and Fogarty awards from the National Institutes of Health; the Samuel T. Orton Award from the International Dyslexia Association; and the Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture from the British Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition to being a researcher and research mentor, Dr. Pennington is also a child clinical neuropsychologist, and has been active in clinical practice and training throughout his career.

From a trusted expert in the field, this authoritative work provides an accessible overview of what learning disorders are, how they develop, and how to diagnose and treat them effectively. The author presents the most current neuroscientific knowledge on a range of conditions, including dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and others. Practitioners gain vital insights and tools for making sense of children's impairments and strengths, collecting and interpreting diagnostic data from a variety of sources, and linking diagnosis to evidence-based interventions. The second edition has been substantially revised and expanded to reflect significant clinical and research advances.

New to This Edition

*Covers additional disorders: intellectual disability, mathematics disorder, and developmental coordination disorder, plus a chapter on less well-validated disorders.

*New case illustrations and a focus on empirically based practice.

*Now grounded in a multiple cognitive-deficit model of learning disorders, replacing the prior edition's modular, single-deficit model.

*An illuminating chapter on controversial therapies separates myths from facts.

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology

"Pennington''s book is not only highly recommended to anyone working with children having disabilities, but also highly recommended for students in training. The book covers a broad range of issues that are of essential importance in effective practice....Pennington''s delicate balance of covering a large number of topics and disorders with sufficient breadth and depth, with appeal to both researchers and practitioners, makes [this] one of the most valuable books available on the topic."--Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology

Pt. I Basic Concepts 1

Ch. 1 How Learning Disorders Develop 3

Ch. 2 Neuropsychological Constructs 13

Ch. 3 Issues in Syndrome Validation 23

Ch. 4 Less Well-Validated Learning Disorders 28

Ch. 5 Differential Diagnosis 35

Pt. II Reviews of Disorders 43

Ch. 6 Dyslexia Bruce Pennington Pennington, Bruce Robin L. Peterson Peterson, Robin L. Lauren M. McGrath McGrath, Lauren M. 45

Ch. 7 Speech and Language Disorders Bruce Pennington Pennington, Bruce Robin L. Peterson Peterson, Robin L. Lauren M. McGrath McGrath, Lauren M. 83

Ch. 8 Autism Spectrum Disorder Bruce Pennington Pennington, Bruce Lauren M. McGrath McGrath, Lauren M. Robin L. Peterson Peterson, Robin L. 108

Ch. 9 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Bruce Pennington Pennington, Bruce Lauren M. McGrath McGrath, Lauren M. Robin L. Peterson Peterson, Robin L. 152

Ch. 10 Intellectual Disability Bruce Pennington Pennington, Bruce Lauren M. McGrath McGrath, Lauren M. Robin L. Peterson Peterson, Robin L. 181

Ch. 11 Developmental Coordination Disorder 227

Ch. 12 Mathematics Disorder 234

Ch. 13 Nonverbal Learning Disability 242

Pt. III Implications for Practice and Policy 249

Ch. 14 Evidence-Based Practice: Barriers and Benefits 251

Ch. 15 Controversial Therapies 264

App. A Helpful Resources for Parents and Teachers 283

App. B Useful Websites 287

App. C Frequently Used Tests for Learning Disorders 289

References 293

Index 343