A recent study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development revealed that the annual cost of service to people with mental retardation who harm others, injure themselves, or damage property exceeds $3.5 billion per year. This book is about the search for solutions to this difficult problem. How do we diagnose those with developmental disabilities who display such problem behavior? How do we measure the effectiveness of various interventions or treatment programs?

An interdisciplinary team of the nation's experts addresses these and related questions, such as the epidemiology of self-injury and aggression, developmental psychopathology associated with destructive behavior, methods for studying these behavior problems, biological and environmental interventions for destructive behavior, and policy concerns.

Destructive Behavior in Developmental Disabilities provides professionals and researchers interested in developmental psychology, psychology, nursing, and interpersonal violence with an analysis beyond single-factor theories and demonstrates how attention to the interaction of multiple variables can contribute to discovering solutions to the complex problem of destructive behavior.