Neurobehavioral Disorders of Childhood: An Evolutionary Perspective

Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking work!
Review: In the confusing world of learning disabilities and functional disconnection, the theories are many but the answers are few. Dr. Melillo and Dr. Leisman have put forth a theory that has been meticulously researched and tested over many hundreds of patients and many years. The excitement herein lies not in a new theory, but in the treatment protocols inherently implied with the neurological consequences of hemisphericity. It opens up a world of possiblities of treatment for these children, and builds upon, rather than replaces, many of the great behavioral and rehabilitative programs that are already in place for these children. I have personally seen life-changing results with patients in the application of this system of evaluation and treatment in just the short time I have been using it. For any practitioner interested in the specific treatment of LD's, this book and its protocols are a must.

Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking work!
Review: In the confusing world of learning disabilities and functional disconnection, the theories are many but the answers are few. Dr. Melillo and Dr. Leisman have put forth a theory that has been meticulously researched and tested over many hundreds of patients and many years. The excitement herein lies not in a new theory, but in the treatment protocols inherently implied with the neurological consequences of hemisphericity. It opens up a world of possiblities of treatment for these children, and builds upon, rather than replaces, many of the great behavioral and rehabilitative programs that are already in place for these children. I have personally seen life-changing results with patients in the application of this system of evaluation and treatment in just the short time I have been using it. For any practitioner interested in the specific treatment of LD's, this book and its protocols are a must.

Rating:
Summary: Neurobehavioral disorders of childhood
Review: Robert Melillo from the Carrick Institute for Graduate Sciences in Florida and Gerry Leisman from the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York have collaborated on this impressive (text)book on neurobehavioral disorders of childhood.
To learn, make friends and develop self-esteem are major tasks for children and adolescents to succeed in the school environment. If the child will manage to succeed in school the economic future, social and emotional status, career and quality of life will be positively affected. The issue at hand in this book is what sometimes is referred to as learning disability (LD) or disorder. LD is a disorder that affect the ability to either interpret what is seen and heard or to link information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can show up as specific difficulties with spoken and written language, coordination, self control or attention. Such difficulties extend to schoolwork and can impede learning to read, write or do math. But LD must be seen in a broader picture of developmental disability that also include attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Asperger's syndrome and autism. We are talking about many children involved and therefore the importance of this book.
This book has 11 chapters with topics like the evolution of the brain and why the brain works the way it does, sign and symptoms of neurobehavioral disorders, therapeutic theory and strategies. This book is well researched with many references with a focus on alternations of the normal child development in relation to the learning disorders described above. A working theory is presented based on what is known of the neurological and cognitive development in the context of evolution of the human species and its brain.
This book will be of interest for neurologists, professionals involved in child development and the human brain. It is another step forward in the work to find solutions to learning disability.

Professor Joav Merrick, MD
Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Developmentand Medical director, Division for Mental Retardation, Box 1260, IL-91012 Jerusalem, Israel. E-mail: [e-mail]