Pediatric Disorders of Regulation in Affect and Behavior

Book excerpt: Pediatric Disorders of Regulation in Affect and Behavior, second edition is a skills-based book for mental health professionals working with children experiencing disorders of self-regulation. These children are highly sensitive to stimulation from the environment, emotionally reactive, and have difficulty maintaining an organized and calm state of being. Children with these struggles often have difficulty adapting to changing demands at home and school. The child may additionally struggle with bipolar or mood disorder, anxiety, depression, obsessive–compulsive disorder, Asperger's syndrome, eating or sleep disorders, and/or attention-deficit disorder. This book will help professionals integrate treatment strategies that address the individual's regulatory, sensory integration, and mental health problems. The book is organized with each chapter discussing a different form of dysregulation in eating, sleep, mood regulation, anxiety, attention, and behavioral control. Chapters begin with developmental and neurobiological underpinnings of the problem, include clinical observations, and close with diagnosis and treatment strategies. Recommended treatments integrate aspects of dialectical behavioral therapy, mind–body therapies and sensory integration techniques, and interpersonal therapy. Checklists for diagnosis and treatment planning are included at the conclusion of each chapter with an appendix of 20 skill sheets for use in treatment. - Practical skill-based treatment book for mental health and occupational therapists - Addresses eating, sleep, mood, attention, and behavioral control - Presents integrated treatment using sensory integration, DBT, interpersonal therapy, and more - Includes checklists and skill sheets for use in treatment