Communication disabilities are common, although their precise nature and degree of severity vary greatly among individuals. They are among the most handicapping of disabilities because they isolate a person and in so doing restrict social, educational, and occupational opportunities. One of the purposes of this book was to bring together theoretical, practical, and clinical knowledge from several disciplines that bear on language and communication into some reasonably accessible form. The intent is to provide a broad and multi-faceted view of language development and language disorders. Thus, contributions from education, linguistics, psychology, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychology, and speech therapy are included. They describe our current knowledge of language development, suggest classifications for language pathology, outline what is known of the epidemiology of language difficulties, consider assessment and therapy, alternative communication systems and the impact of the new technology on communication aids. The variety of perspectives that it provides will make it particularly useful to the range of specialists who are concerned with the development of communication skills and language disorders.

In this major new book, eminent scientist Professor Sir Michael Rutter gets behind the hype of the behavioral genetics debate to provide a balanced and authoritative overview of the genetic revolution and its implications for understanding human behavior. * Written by one of the world's leading figures in child psychology and psychiatry, Professor Sir Michael Rutter * Provides non-technical explanation of genetics to diffuse the sensational debates surrounding the topic * Sets out in layman's terms what genes do, how much is nature and how much is nurture * Argues that nature and nurture are not truly separate and gives examples of how the two interact * Looks at the implications of genetic findings for policy and practice * The book will inform public debate about the implications of the Human Genome Project and, more broadly, the field of genetic science

During the ‘Golden Era’ of economic growth between 1950 and 1973, mortality and physical illness declined in developed countries, but a number of psychosocial disorders increased. The authors of this volume search out the causes of the increased disorder in young people and target the disorders that rise in frequency in the teenage years: crime, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, anorexia and bulimia, and suicide. The extensive research findings on the mechanisms that lead to each of the disorders are reviewed. In addition, the authors consider a wide range of social and economic changes as possible explanations of trends in the disorders: the changing process of adolescent development, the family, the economy, the labour market, the mass media, and moral concepts and values are all discussed in depth. This international group of researchers bring together, for the first time, under the auspices of the Academia Europaea, data for a range of psychosocial disorders on time trends, on cross-national differences, on risk and protective factors for individuals, and on the developmental processes that link childhood with adult life. The Academia Europaea as a multinational, multidisciplinary organisation support in various areas this kind of study. The authors demonstrate that this inter-disciplinary approach, combining analysis of individual differences and aggregate trends, has great power and potential for future research. Practitioners, academics and policy makers in the fields of mental health, criminal justice, and social policy will find in this volume some surprising conclusions as well as useful guidelines for action, based on authoritative evidence from these unique studies.

God: The Play is a story about an inquisitive college student named Jude. He is a scholar and contender for valedictorian of his graduating class. He has completed an academically demanding program with a double major in English and drama, which requires a thesis to graduate. Jude's professor gave him the thesis topic: Does God exist, or not? He decides to write and perform a play to fulfill this requirement, and he uses his fellow drama students as the actors. God: The Play begins with a series of opinionated characters presenting unconventional insights into the existence of God. It is the intent of these composite characters to provide new perceptions on old beliefs, including unique ideas about God. These characters do not intend to leave the audience resting comfortably in their current beliefs as an atheist, a member of a religious sect, or a scientist. In their dialogue, the characters examine human tolerance for believing in irrational, intangible ideas, even if one's belief is non-belief. The characters use "dialectic rhetoric" to "inquire, argue and persuade" in seeking the truth about God's existence through "closed fist" and "open hand" discussions as described by philosophers such as Zeno the stoic, Hegel, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato and Cicero.