Handbook of Mental Retardation and Development

Handbook of Mental Retardation and Development, by Jacob A. Burack, Robert M. Hodapp, and Edward Zigler, Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 1998, 764 pp, $80.00 hardcover, $29.95 paperback. This book is primarily a summation and discussion of research work that will be of great interest to readers who are primarily engaged in research or who are contemplating doing research in a certain area relative to mental retardation and development. It is in no sense a textbook that attempts to pull together all of the medical, social, psychological, and educational aspects of mental retardation and development. The editors have divided the book into four parts. The first part, containing five chapters by different authors, is devoted to issues in the developmental approach to mental retardation. An introduction tracing the relationship of investigations to developmental psychology is particularly useful in offering explanations regarding the relevance of this relationship to the overall field of mental retardation. Each of the chapters has an extensive bibliography. The second part, containing eight chapters, is devoted to cognitive and linguistic development. Some of the chapters deal almost entirely with research work relating to normal development. One of the authors points out that data derived from certain studies indicate that the acquisition of sensorimotor development is more similar than different among groups of children with retardation when compared with typically developing children. The research work that supports such contentions is clearly documented throughout this section as well as in other sections. The third part, containing eight chapters, is devoted to social and emotional development. Because problems of social and emotional adjustment of children with developmental disabilities are likely to be central to functional success in society, this section will be of great interest to both researchers and clinicians. A section describing the development of friends and friendships might be interesting to people and agencies devoted to helping persons with developmental disabilities function smoothly in the community. For the most part, little research has been done on the issues surrounding the adult with developmental disabilities. The chapter by Kraus and Seltzer presents some of the work relating to life-course perspectives with special emphasis on individuals and their families. As more and more adults with developmental disabilities remain in the community, the need for research to help them achieve success in the community settings becomes increasingly needed. The fourth section, containing five chapters, is devoted to environment and family. One of the points made by Greenbaum and Auerbach is that successful adaptation to the environment on the part of the child or adult with a developmental disability depends on active and consistent intervention by the environment, which they suggest should be provided by a mentor who has continuous contact with the individual. Because this handbook is not a compendium of medical and biological information relating to developmental disabilities, it will not be of use to those who wish to find detailed information about any of the known conditions which give rise to mental retardation or developmental disabilities. On the other hand, for professional persons working in the field of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, this book will offer important insights derived from well-documented research, which will serve as a guide for understanding and dealing with the complexities surrounding the affected persons whom they are trying to serve. ROBERT B. KUGEL, M.D. DeWitt Hospital Ft. Belvoir, Virginia