Includes index.

Contents: As life begins: Genetics and developmental disabilities -- Development before birth -- Having a baby: the birth process -- The first weeks of life -- Environmental toxins -- Infections and the fetus -- Birth defects and prenatal diagnosis -- Newborn screening: opportunities for prevention of developmental disabilities -- Premature and small-for-dates infants -- The Developing child: Nutrition and children with disabilities -- Vision: our window to the world -- Hearing: sounds and silences -- The Brain and nervous system -- Muscles, Bones, and nerves -- Patterns in development and disability -- Developmental disabilities: Epidemiology of developmental disabilities -- Developmental delay and intellectual disability -- Down syndrome -- X-linked syndromes causing intellectual disability -- Inborn errors of metabolism -- Behavioral and psychiatric disorders in children with disabilities -- Communication disorders -- Autism spectrum disorders -- Attention deficits and hyperactivity -- Specific learning disabilities -- Cerebral palsy -- Movement disorders -- Neural tube defects -- Epilepsy -- Traumatic brain injury -- Interventions, families, and outcomes: Feeding -- Dental care: promoting health and preventing disease -- Early intervention -- Special education services -- Behavioral principles, assessment, and therapy -- Technological assistance -- Physical therapy and occupational therapy -- Exercise, sports, and recreation -- Ethical dilemmas -- Caring and coping: helping the family of a child with disability -- Future expectations: transition from adolescence to adulthood -- Health care delivery system and financing issues.