Language Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Joseph H. Beitchman · Elizabeth Brownlie

Oct 2013 · Hogrefe Publishing

About this ebook

Language impairment in childhood and adolescence: presentation, diagnosis, comorbidity, assessment, and empirically validated psychotherapeutic treatment. As many as half of children and adolescents presenting for mental health services have language impairments, often undiagnosed. This book offers a clear and comprehensive description of language impairment emerging in childhood and its implications for clinical practice with children and adolescents. The book is filled with many clinical pearls and examples of the way language impairment impacts on the child's symptom picture and influences treatment. After discussing DSM-IV and the planned DSM-5 criteria, it then goes on to provide the reader with an easy-to-follow plan on how to conduct the assessment with the child and parents, and the steps to take in initiating treatment. Unique modifications to empirically validated treatments are recommended for language-impaired children with comorbid anxiety or disruptive behavior disorders. Anyone who works with children and adolescents will benefit from this book.

About the author

Dr. Joseph Beitchman is a clinician and therapist who has been working with children and adolescents with language delays for more than 30 years. He has written extensively on language impairment and its relation to psychiatric disorders, including learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, and disruptive behavior disorders. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto where he teaches and does his research. Dr. Elizabeth Brownlie is a developmental psychologist who works in the area of child, youth, and emerging adult development. Her research focuses on the role of gender, language/learning, and other determinants of health on mental health and wellbeing. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.