This book is thorough, thoughtful, and uniquely useful in the questions it asks and attempts to answer. Included, for example, are discussions of problems associated with the use of traditional neurological “soft signs” to detect and predict long-term motor impairment; patterns of newborn movement that predict childhood cerebral palsy; strengths and weaknesses of tests and observational checklists to assess motor proficiency; how best to diagnose and treat phonological disorders versus verbal apraxia, or dysgraphia versus motor dyspraxia; analysis and treatment of handwriting problems; brain systems that subserve proprioception and how these systems develop or derail; neuroimaging that assists in making the diagnosis of periventricular leukomalacia; and, treatment approaches for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.

Dewey and Tupper relied on an international group of 38 authors to discuss a broad range of movement disorders, yet managed to craft a book that is entirely readable. The book's focus is on infants and children and, to a lesser extent, adolescents. In Part I, “Foundations,” Tupper and Sondell provide an historical overview of clinical studies of motor disorders (Chapter 1), Dewey and Bottos describe neuroimaging in motor disorders (Chapter 2), Roy, Bottos, Pryde, and Dewey discuss alternative theoretical approaches to understanding motor disorders (Chapter 3), and Barnett and Peters review tests of motor proficiency, and include a useful descriptive Table (Chapter 4).

The six chapters of Part II, “Clinical Disorders,” include discussion of cerebral palsy and the muscular dystrophies by Blondis (Chapter 5), motor function in children with mental retardation (including Down syndrome and Williams syndrome by Elliott and Bunn (Chapter 6), autistic spectrum disorders by Smith (Chapter 7), acquired motor disorders due to traumatic brain injury, stroke, leukemia, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), meningitis, hydrocephalus, toxic exposure, and malnutrition by Dewey, Bottos, and Tupper (Chapter 8), and involuntary movement disorders such as Tourette's syndrome, tics, and choreas by Dewey, Tupper, and Bottos (Chapter 9). Chapter 10, by Williams and Ho, about disorders of balance and postural control associated with a wide variety of clinical conditions, doesn't quite seem to fit in this section but is nonetheless intriguing. This chapter addresses lifespan issues regarding balance and posture and includes a practical discussion about prediction and prevention of falls in elderly patients.

Part III, “Neuropsychological Manifestations,” includes five demystifying chapters on motor speech problems by Hodge and Wellman (Chapter 11), motor learning and coordination by Ahonen, Kooistra, Viholamen, and Cantell (Chapter 12), visuospatial and related problems by Wilson (Chapter 13), motor problems related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by Piek and Pitcher (Chapter 14), and writing disorders by Berninger (Chapter 15). These chapters, particularly those concerned with writing and speech disorders, are rich with “news you can use” about how to evaluate and interpret observed developmental difficulties. The authors offer suggestions for intervention and provide numerous references for the reader interested in further study.

The final six chapters in Part IV, “Issues and Applications,” attempt to integrate specific motor difficulties in relation to development of “the whole person,” and to discuss those factors, such as hand preference, that might moderate a child's response to a motor disorder. This section includes a chapter about handedness and manual asymmetry by Hiscock and Chapieski (Chapter 16), and an overview of dynamic systems theory and its notion of “constraints” on motor development by Gueze (Chapter 17). Chapter 18, on comorbidity of motor problems with other diagnosed childhood disorders by Dewey, Crawford, Wilson, and Kaplan, rounds out the content of previous chapters about specific motor disorders, although discussion of some conditions (e.g., neurofibromatosis) is cursory. Chapter 19 by Miyahara and Cratty and Chapter 20 by Larkin and Summers are concerned with how motor disorders affect children's emotional, social, and play behaviors; this adds a clinical perspective although cited findings focus on environmental and psychosocial variables (e.g., children with motor disabilities have a hard time, but supportive family members and school personnel can foster self-esteem and social success). A future edition would benefit from an emphasis on the contribution of subcortical brain systems to mood, emotion, arousal, and consummatory drives, that is, subcortical impairment resulting in motor disorder may also contribute to neurologically based emotional and behavioral differences. Such a chapter would be speculative now, as empirical research on social-emotional aspects of subcortical dysfunction only recently has received deserved attention for the adult population and is virtually nonexistent for children. Finally, Chapter 21, an overview of management and treatment of children with motor problems by Polatajko, Rodger, Dhillon, and Hirji, introduces some less familiar approaches, and reviews the few, generally discouraging, empirical outcome studies of popular methods such as “sensory integrative” and “neurodevelopmental” therapies that have been broadly applied to various motor problems. One hopes this chapter will serve as an incentive to those in need of a dissertation topic and all who are searching for a challenging and rewarding topic of investigation.

More so than in most edited books, each of these scholarly, well written chapters is structured to provide coherence of tone and content. For example, rather than taking a narrow or polemic stance, each chapter presents a concise summary of alternative theoretical models and important controversies relevant to its particular topic. Normal development of a specific aspect of motor function is described briefly. Chapters on specific conditions include discussion of how the normal developmental pattern can be disrupted or derailed, how atypical motor development may result in an array of cognitive, academic, psychological, and social differences, and a cascade of further developmental differences within the motor system. Research and clinical perspectives are well represented, and well integrated, throughout most chapters. A frequent refrain is the need for further research on motor disorders, but the research questions are clearly framed and formulated. Conscientious editing is evident. Cross-referencing among the different chapters within the book is unusually good, as is the indexing of topics and accuracy of citations.

Three additional chapters would be especially welcome in a future edition. The first suggestion is for an overview of normal motor developmental milestones discussed in the later sections of this volume. A second suggestion is for discussion of motor developmental variation related to social, cultural, or environmental factors (e.g., childrearing methods, exercise opportunities, and expectations for fine and gross motor activity). A third suggestion is for inclusion of medical/physiological interventions, such as bracing, surgery, “Botox,” systemic medications, and other current treatments, along with a discussion about how these interact with behavioral/rehabilitative intervention strategies. But, no one book can accomplish everything. In this volume, Drs. Dewey and Tupper have made a signal contribution to our understanding of the causes, impact, and treatment of motor disorders, and, more broadly, the role of motor assessment in pediatric neuropsychological practice.