Annual review of clinical psychology
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Annu Rev Clin Psychol · Jan 2006
Review Comparative StudyAutism from developmental and neuropsychological perspectives.
In this review of the research literature on autism, we argue that the application of developmental and neuropsychological perspectives has contributed importantly to the understanding of the core deficits in autism and their underlying neural bases. The three classes of theories postulated to explain the developmental and neuropsychological deficits in autism are considered in terms of the specificity, uniqueness, and universality of these impairments in autism. Because we believe that a primary reason for our lack of understanding of the developmental trajectory in autism stems from our inability to diagnose the syndrome in the first three years of life, research approaches to early identification are discussed, as are longitudinal studies aimed at identifying later-life outcomes and their predictors. In contrast to the progress made in defining the core deficits and arriving at criteria for diagnosis, less progress has been made in identifying the causes of autism and in creating and testing interventions aimed at ameliorating the impairments of autism, possibly because these activities have been less tied to the developmental and neuropsychological models that have enlightened the investigation of core deficits.
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Annu Rev Clin Psychol · Jan 2006
ReviewWomen's mental health research: the emergence of a biomedical field.
This review surveys the field of women's mental health, with particular emphasis on its evolution into a distinct area of biomedical research. The field employs a biomedical disease model but it also emphasizes social and cultural influences on health outcomes. In recent years, its scope has expanded beyond studies of disorders occurring in women at times of reproductive transitions and it now encompasses a broader study of sex and gender differences. ⋯ As new analytic methods become available, it is anticipated that a more fundamental understanding of the biological and behavioral mechanisms underlying sex and gender differences in mental illness will emerge. Nonetheless, it is also likely that integration of findings predicated on different conceptual models of the nature and causes of mental illness will remain a challenge. These issues are discussed with reference to their impact on the field of women's mental health research.
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Annu Rev Clin Psychol · Jan 2006
Review Historical ArticleDoctoral training in clinical psychology.
Competing models of doctoral training in clinical psychology are described and compared within their historical contexts. Trends in the field are examined critically with a focus on the impact of managed care on doctoral training and clinical practice. Implications for the future of doctoral training are considered, and a blueprint for the future of doctoral training in clinical psychology is presented.