The Encyclopedia of Neuropsychological Disorders (2013)

This expansive book is written to provide a reference manual of disorders that have a biological–psychological interaction. Unlike other manuals of disorders, this tome focuses on sequelae of neurological, psychological, genetic, and other medical disorders. It is written not only for professionals in the fields of neurology, neuropsychology, and neuropsychiatry but also would be an excellent reference for anyone in the developmental-behavioral pediatrics field. The scope of this book is vast. It includes 295 child, adult, and geriatric disorders, from A (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis) to Z (Zellweger syndrome) covered in 804 pages. It includes developmental disorders, psychiatric disorders, common and rare genetic disorders, learning disorders, and different causes of brain injury. Also included are behaviors that would not necessarily be characterized as a disorder, such as juvenile delinquency. Medical disorders encompass common conditions, including several entries on seizure disorders. Also included are disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, with no clear neurocognitive impact other than impairment caused by depression. I am hard pressed to find a disorder that is not included; everything I thought of is there, except written language and sleep disorders, although sleep apnea and narcolepsy are included. I have to admit, I did not read this entire book, but it is unlikely that anyone will. This book is very good as a reference book but not intended to be read from cover to cover. Instead, I read about topics I thought I knew well, ones that I wished I knew more about, and ones that I knew nothing about. Entries in edited books are often inconsistent, and that is the case for this one as well. The sections on each disorder all include a description, neuropathology/pathophysiology, neuropsychological/clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. However, the quality of the information in those sections varies greatly. The authors of many of the disorders are prominent in their fields and many of the sections are excellent. For instance, the section on Aspergers is very up to date and includes a discussion of the recent research that suggests there is really very little difference between autism and Aspergers. It also includes a thorough review of the latest neuropsychological findings on Aspergers. Entries cover a variety of learning disorders including a very up to date discussion of reading and math disorders, with excellent research-based recommendations for both. Particularly helpful for me is the information on medical disorders that I see only occasionally, such as meningitis and shaken baby syndrome. If I had had this book a couple of months ago, I could have saved myself much Internet research time on assessments of children with these disorders I see rarely. However, I was disappointed by some entries. The section on autism focused too much on the intriguing theories of mind blindness and mirror neurons. Although some initial research supported these theories, more recent research (and in plenty of time for this book) do not clearly support these hypotheses. The nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD) entry provides a good discussion of the original theory of NVLD but lacks any discussion of recent controversies about the concept of NVLDs. Although this book was published in 2012, the NVLD section lacks any references after 2005. I recently needed information on neurofibromatosis (NF); that section provides excellent detail on the neuropathology of NF, but only one brief and vague paragraph on neuropsychological effects. I am able to find so much more from doing a little Internet research. The one thing I would have liked are Internet resources from the authors where I could continue to find up to date information as research develops. However, all in all, this is a very good book, with impressive scope and detail on the neuropathology and clinical presentation of most of the disorders pediatric clinicians will encounter. Thus, it is an excellent reference for not only pediatric neuropsychologists such as myself but also valuable for any developmental-behavioral pediatric practitioner.