Serena Wieder

A Functional Developmental Approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Historically, severe developmental disabilities, including autism, have been approached from the point of view of presenting symptoms as well as the overall syndrome. Although individual practitioners, such as speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, and educators have worked with the childs individual capacities, a developmentally based functional approach has not been sufficiently articulated and systematized to guide assessment, intervention, and research efforts. In this article, we describe a dynamic, developmental model that conceptualizes the childs functional emotional developmental capacities, individual differences in sensory processing and modulation, motor planning and sequencing, as well as child/caregiver and family interaction patterns. Because each child with developmental challenges is unique, the functional developmental approach will capture the childs special strengths and challenges, as well as provide a more comprehensive and individualized framework for clinical work with a child and his or her family.

Contacting pregnant adolescents: are we missing cues?

Prenatal reluctance of pregnant adolescents to engage in a mental health services program often dissipates after birth occurs if the reluctance is understood, outreach is sustained, and intervention is tailored to clients. Methods of engaging women in such a program are described.

Identifying the multi-risk family prenatally: antecedent psychosocial factors and infant developmental trends

Little is known about the relationship between mother and infant within multiproblem, so-called “hard to reach” families. In an effort to understand factors contributing to problems in caring for the young children of these parents, a group of 47 families was recruited for study by the Clinical Infant Development Program of the National Institute of Mental Health. Serious social pathology was found within 75 percent of families. The lives of mothers in these families was marked by long term disruptions: 64 percent were from families characterized by recurring poverty and psychiatric illness, and 69 percent reported disruptions in parental care prior to age twelve, while more than two-thirds reported a history of being physically and/or sexually abused as children. More than 75 percent of this group of women presently showed psychiatric distress. Many of these women have difficulty in providing adequately for their young children and require innovative intervention programs in order to facilitate parenting.