Changes within the interdisciplinary field of intellectual and developmental disabilities are evolving at a rapid pace. Clinicians, academics, administrators, and a variety of mental health providers alike need easy-to-access, reliable information that enables them to stay abreast of the numerous advances in research, assessment, treatment, and service delivery within a real-world sociopolitical framework. To that end, the Handbook of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is an essential resource for any professional who works with this vulnerable population.
Can the words "freedom of expression" be trademarked? Well, they have been—by McLeod, who consistently follows the phrase with a ®, to point up the absurdity of Fox's trademarking of "fair and balanced." As he shows, the notion of intellectual property now extends well beyond digital music sampling to biology (gene patenting) and "scents and gestures"—and laws governing it, the author says, are being wielded like a bludgeon. McLeod, a University of Iowa communications professor, charts the effects of the intense commercialization of intellectual property from cultural, legal and technological perspectives, asserting that the current environment handcuffs creators who used to be encouraged to build on past creations. Now, the author posits, potential creators "engage in self-censorship" out of fear of copyright or trademark infringement lawsuits, pushing culture toward a weak, commercial center of creativity. While McLeod's arguments aren't original, his entertaining examples and punchy writing nicely amplify the concerns voiced by an increasing number of intellectual property scholars, such as Lawrence Lessig. Although he evokes dark, almost Orwellian images throughout, McLeod manages an upbeat spin, citing the "egalitarian" nature of the new technologies and a growing awareness of the need to return to a place where "freedom of expression" is once again "a meaningful concept that guides our political, social and creative lives."
In most respects, Abigail and Brittany Hensel are normal American twins. Born and raised in a small town, they enjoy a close relationship, though each has her own tastes and personality. But the Hensels also share a body. Their two heads sit side-by-side on a single torso, with two arms and two legs. They have not only survived, but have developed into athletic, graceful young women. And that, writes Mark S. Blumberg, opens an extraordinary window onto human development and evolution.
Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon, a developmental psychologist and mother of a young son herself, demonstrates the way in which a young child's developing personality and intelligence is revealed in their non-verbal communication. She shows how parents and other adults have the potential to facilitate a child's social and intellectual growth through acknowledging and responding to this unspoken language.
When it was time to tackle my essay topic, I assumed that I needed to take the most emotionally gut-wrenching story from my life and work my way into a school by breaking the hearts of the admissions committee. If I couldn’t pull that off, I figured that I should write the most intellectual five hundred words that I could get on paper.
