Program Objectives
Through this program the fellow will:
- Become familiar with specialized techniques for assessing individuals who have mental retardation and mental illness. This includes learning about the ways in which developmental deficits affect symptom presentation. The fellow will learn how to develop a differential diagnosis and treatment plan, taking into account differences in the presentation of psychiatric disorders in this population.
- Work closely with a multidisciplinary team and learn about the types of assessment and treatment provided by each discipline. An important part of the experience will be collaboration in multimodal treatment planning.
- Learn about the system of care provided for this population in the community and learn about the impact of psychosocial, behavioral and systems issues while collaborating with the patient's community-based treatment team. The fellow will also gain experience in the recognition of the impact of comorbid medical and neurologic conditions, as well as genetic syndromes, on the manifestation of emotional and behavioral problems in this population.
- Gain experience in research in developmental disabilities, and in the critical review of the literature.
- Become prepared to be an effective practitioner, scholar, and teacher in the area of dual diagnosis (mental illness and mental retardation).
|
