Early-onset and enduring developmental deficits in attention, especially if combined with increased hyperactivity, and impulsivity, may result in constant impairments in multiple domains of personal life. The full spectrum of symptoms is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity, which is maladaptive and inconsistent with a comparable level of developmental age known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD is considered one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders and of childhood, and among the most prevalent chronic health conditions. Given the wide heterogeneity and complex manifestations of the disorder, there is an importance in a developmental perspective that views ADHD as a multi-factorial disorder with multiple, causal processes, and pathways. The symptoms of ADHD should be cast, not as static or fixed neurobehavioral deficits, but rather in terms of underlying developmental processes. Even experienced professional might minimize the prevalence of a disorder among certain groups of patients. Therefore, the existence of attention disorders might become "transparent" for both the patient and the professional. This might lead to a non-accurate diagnosis, harm the treatment aspects and has potential non beneficial prognostic aspects. The developmental approach can provide predictions as to how characteristics associated with attention develop over time and how multiple risk and protective factors transact to impact it's development, as well as the development of a broad range of associated co-morbid features. Among children with mental retardation, autistic spectrum disorders, children who were born premature, born with low birth weight, as well as among those who suffer from chronic disorders (such as epilepsy, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or asthma), as well as among otherwise healthy preschoolers – the assessment of attention performance might be very challenging. In this research topic, we explore the latest cutting edge research on the biological and neural pathways as well as on psychosocial and behavioral correlates of brain development and attention spectrum. In doing so we aim to highlight: what is currently known regarding this new conceptualization of attention as a spectrum; the mechanisms underlying this spectrum; and where this field is headed in terms of developing our understanding of the link between brain development and attention performance.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

From a preeminent researcher, this book looks at the key role of joint attention in both typical and atypical development. Peter C. Mundy shows that no other symptom dimension is more strongly linked to early identification and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). He synthesizes a wealth of knowledge on how joint attention develops, its neurocognitive underpinnings, and how it helps to explain the learning, language, and social-cognitive features of ASD across the lifespan. Clinical implications are explored, including reviews of cutting-edge diagnostic methods and targeted treatment approaches.

This concise guide introduces the importance of executive function for social and emotional well-being and effective learning. It clearly explains the research that underpins important topics such as working memory, organization, self-regulation, attention and cognitive flexibility, and how they apply to the real-world settings in which we work with children, adolescents, and families. This engaging book offers knowledge and strategies for improving executive function together with an understanding of its relevance for diverse populations. The authors use the most current research to provide an overview of what executive function is, how it develops, and how it works in coordination with other developmental factors to promote regulation and flexibility in thinking. Chapters contain detailed information about the biological and physiological foundations for brain development and emotion regulation, as well as advances in cognition, emotion, and social relationships. Making the research accessible to all with evidence-based writing and theory-to-practice applications, the book provides applications with career contexts and interviews and case studies that bring the book to life. Designed to introduce professionals, advocates, and parents to the importance of executive function in human development, this book is for all those working with children and young people. It will also be of interest as an introductory text for those new to the field or as a way to learn to apply developmental principles in practice.

Developmental Disorders of the Brain: Brain and Behaviour addresses disabilities that occur or have their roots in the early, developmental phase of life which are of utmost concern to parents, siblings, carers and teachers. This text describes the latest clinical and behavioral findings of disorders which largely or entirely involve the frontostriatal (basal ganglia) system including Tourette’s, Obsessive-Compulsive and Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity disorders, Schizophrenia, Autism, gambling and addiction, depression, and Conduct, Developmental Motor Co-ordination, and language disorders. Examples of disorders involving the frontocerebellar are also described such as Asperger’s disorder, Williams, Fragile X, and Cerebellar Cognitive Affective syndromes, and Friedreich Ataxia. This book also discusses the relevant anatomy, physiology and pathology, and some of the major functions mediated by affected or relevant structures, together with accounts of the latest recording, brain imaging and stimulating techniques related to these kinds of disorders. Covering both frontostriatal and frontocerebellar, systems which control and direct normal behavior, and which can fail with often distressing consequences during development, as well as addressing behavioural, clinical, pathophysiological and technical aspects, this text is vital to understanding, diagnosis and management of developmental disorders of the brain. This text will be of great interest to clinicians, researchers, teachers and parents.

What is attention? How does it go wrong? Do attention deficits arise from genes or from the environment? Can we cure it with drugs or training? Are there disorders of attention other than deficit disorders? The past decade has seen a burgeoning of research on the subject of attention. This research has been facilitated by advances on several fronts: New methods are now available for viewing brain activity in real time, there is expanding information on the complexities of the biochemistry of neural activity, individual genes can be isolated and their functions identified, analysis of the component processes included under the broad umbrella of "attention" has become increasingly sophisticated, and ingenious methods have been devised for measuring typical and atypical development of these processes, from infancy into childhood, and then into adulthood. In this book, Kim Cornish and John Wilding are concerned with attention and its development, both typical and atypical, particularly in disorders with a known genetic etiology or assumed genetic linkage. Tremendous advances across seemingly diverse disciplines - molecular genetics, pediatric neurology, child psychiatry, developmental cognitive neuroscience, and education - have culminated in a wealth of new methods for elucidating disorders at multiple levels, possibly paving the way for new treatment options. Cornish and Wilding use three specific-yet-interlinking levels of analysis: genetic blueprint (genotype), the developing brain, and the behavioral-cognitive outcomes (phenotype), as the basis for charting the attention profiles of six well-documented neurodevelopmental disorders: ADHD, autism, fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and 22q11 deletion syndrome. Their overarching aim in this book is to provide the most authoritative and extensive account to date of disorder-specific attention profiles and their development from infancy through adolescence.

This volume presents works by leading researchers in cognitive neuroscience on the neural bases of attention. The lifespan perspective means the book will be of special interest to developmentalists, but all neuroscientists will find it valuable.