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UNCG PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSORS PUBLISH TEXTBOOK ON ASSESSING AD/HD

GREENSBORO – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – AD/HD -- continues to be the subject of intense

Dr. Arthur Anastopoulos	Dr. Terri Shelton

controversy, not only in the mental health community, but also among educators, parents, and the concerned lay public.

In an effort to clarify the complex disorder, Dr. Arthur D. Anastopoulos, professor of psychology, and Dr. Terri L. Shelton, associate professor of psychology and deputy director of the Center for the Study of Social Issues at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, have produced a textbook, Assessing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2001, $45).

Written primarily for mental health professionals, the book serves as a tool for making sound diagnoses and treatment recommendations based on the latest research. As child psychologists, the husband-and-wife team has spent close to 20 years in clinical practice, researching, and teaching on AD/HD and other issues in clinical child psychology.  Widely acknowledged as one of the nation's leading authorities on AD/HD, Anastopoulos also runs a thriving practice at UNCG -- the AD/HD Specialty Clinic -- that serves the Triad region with comprehensive assessment, therapy and clinical trials of medication.

Anastopoulos and Shelton bring a systematic approach to the complex task of assessment, a process that includes clinical interviews, gathering rating scale information from parents and teachers, observing the child in many settings, and testing him or her for learning disabilities or other psychological problems. While other texts and articles have dealt with assessment before, this book is unique in providing specific guidelines for interpreting the clinical data that emerge from an AD/HD assessment so treatment can be tailored to each patient's needs. The book also provides a detailed process for planning treatment and assessing treatment outcome.

The book is the main selection in the summer catalog of Behavioral Science Book Service, along with a video by Dr. Russell A. Barkley, a leading authority on AD/HD with whom Anastopoulos and Shelton have worked and collaborated for many years.

Anastopoulos and Shelton joined the faculty of UNCG in 1995. Prior to coming to UNCG, Anastopoulos was associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts, and chief of the AD/HD Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. In addition to the book, he has written numerous journal articles and book chapters, and frequently gives workshops and makes presentations at professional meetings. During his career, Anastopoulos has researched extensively the effects of AD/HD on family functioning.

Shelton has written extensively about AD/HD and other childhood disorders, particularly in early childhood.  She has numerous journal articles, monographs and presentations to her credit, including co-authoring two monographs on family-centered care for children with specialized health care needs. Prior to coming to UNCG, she was associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. There, she was co-principal investigator on a National Institutes for Mental Health grant examining the efficacy of a comprehensive treatment approach for kindergartners at risk for AD/HD.  She has continued this work in North Carolina, successfully utilizing a system-of-care, family-centered approach to the assessment and treatment of Head Start children at risk for AD/HD. ###

Drs. Anastopoulos and Shelton are available for interviews. Dr. Anastopulos can be reached by phone at (336) 256-0006, and by email at ada@uncg.edu.Dr. Shelton can reached by phone at (336) 256-0002, and via email at tlshelto@uncg.edu.