Nowadays, it is widely accepted that there is no
single influence (be it nature or nurture) on cognitive
development. Cognitive abilities emerge as a result of
interactions between gene expression, cortical and
subcortical brain networks, and environmental
influences. In recent years, our study of
neurodevelopmental disorders has provided much valuable
information on how genes, brain development, behaviour,
and environment interact to influence development from
infancy to adulthood.
This is the first book to
present evidence on development across the lifespan
across these multiple levels of description (genetic,
brain, cognitive, environmental). In the book, the
authors have chosen a well-defined disorder, Williams
syndrome (WS), to explore the impact of genes, brain
development, behaviour, as well as the individual's
environment on development. WS is used as a model
disorder to demonstrate the authors approach to
understanding development, whilst being presented in
comparison to other neurodevelopmental disorders -
Autism, Developmental Dyscalculia, Down syndrome,
Dyslexia, Fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome,
Specific Language Impairment, Turner syndrome - to
illustrate differences in development across
neurodevelopmental disorders.
Williams syndrome
is particularly informative for exploring development:
Firstly, it has been extensively researched at multiple
levels: genes, brain, cognition and behaviour, as well
as in terms of the difficulties of daily living and
social interaction. Secondly, it has been studied across
the lifespan, with many studies on infants and toddlers
with WS as well as a large number on children,
adolescents and adults. The authors also explore a
number of domain-general and domain-specific processes
in the verbal, non-verbal and social domains, across
numerous neurodevelopmental disorders. This illustrates,
among other factors, the importance of developmental
timing, i.e. that the development of a cognitive skill
at a specific timepoint can impact on subsequent
development within that domain, but also across domains.
In addition, the authors discuss the value of
investigating basic-level abilities from as close to the
infant start-state as possible, presenting evidence of
where cross-syndrome comparisons have shed light on the
cascading impacts of subtle similarities and
discrepancies in early delay or deviance, on subsequent
development.
Designed such that readers with an
interest in any neurodevelopmental disorder can gain
insight into the intricate dynamics of cognitive
development, the book covers both theoretical issues and
those of clinical relevance. It will be an invaluable
reference for any researcher, clinician, student as well
as interested parents or teachers wishing to learn about
neurodevelopmental disorders from a developmental
framework.
|
|