The case studies in this book provide a unique source of material suitable for all practitioners and trainers. The book gives detailed descriptions of common cases seen in specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) including depression, learning disabilities, Asperger's syndrome, anorexia, deliberate self harm and schizophrenia. Subject reviews and summaries in each chapter aid comprehension, and explanatory figures, boxed text and lists make the content easy to recall. The book illustrates practical ways of managing and treating cases in an evidence-based manner. This resource is vital for child and adolescent mental health services practitioners, including psychiatrists, psychologists, specialist child health nurses and social workers. Trainee child and adolescent mental health services practitioners will also find the information invaluable.

School refusal is a crippling condition in which children experience extreme anxiety or panic attacks when faced with everyday school life and this handbook aims to explore and raise awareness of the problem of school refusal in children and young people, and provide plans and strategies for education, health and social care professionals for identifying and addressing this problem. Combining educational and clinical perspectives, and with extensive use of case studies, the authors present recent research into the mental health problems associated with school refusal, such as anxiety and panic attacks, as well as the role that parental support plays in their children's school life. They also discuss the role of home tuition services and pupil referral units in extreme cases of school refusal, and provides concrete strategies for planning and organising services to manage the problem effectively. Understanding School Refusal is a valuable guide for professionals across the disciplines of education, health and social care, and will also be useful for training courses within these fields.

Children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems who are referred to mental health services for assessment often have undiagnosed mild learning disabilities, and this guide is written for clinicians involved in making such assessments. It provides full guidance on common developmental disorders and their assessment, focusing on mild to moderate disabilities in the school-aged child. It covers intellectual disabilities, dyslexia, dyscalculia (mathematical disability), autism spectrum disorders, speech and language impairment, developmental coordination disorder, and emotional and personality development. Each chapter includes an account of normal development, including developmental milestones, an overview of the disorder, and its clinical assessment. This important professional guide will be invaluable for all child health and mental health professionals and trainees, including paediatricians, psychiatrists, mental health workers, clinical psychologists and educational psychologists.