NEW EDITION: Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome

Front page of the Book "Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome"

A Guide to Emotional and Behavioral Strengths and Challenges.
This thoroughly updated second edition of Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome is upbeat and accessible in tone, yet encyclopedic in scope. The size of the book reflects both the breadth of the authors’ knowledge—acquired as cofounders of the first medical clinic dedicated solely to the care of adults with Down syndrome—and the number of psychosocial issues and mental disorders that can affect people with Down syndrome. It’s the go-to guide for parents, health practitioners, and caregivers who support teens and adults with Down syndrome.

Mental Wellness emphasizes that understanding and appreciating both the strengths and challenges of people with Down syndrome is the key to promoting good mental health. It shows readers how to distinguish between bona fide mental health issues and common characteristics of Down syndrome—quirks or coping strategies. For example, although talking to oneself can be a sign of psychosis, many adults with Down syndrome use self-talk as an effective problem-solving strategy. 

The second edition includes new chapters on sensory issues (written by Dr. Katie Frank) and regression, expanded and now separate chapters on communication, concrete thinking, and visual memory, and an extensively updated chapter on Alzheimer’s disease citing abundant new research. Other chapters cover a range of conditions and assessment and treatment options:

  • What Is Normal?
  • Self-Esteem & Self-Image
  • Self-Talk
  • Grooves & Flexibility
  • Life-Span Issues
  • Social Skills
  • Mood & Anxiety Disorders
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Psychotic Disorders
  • Eating Refusal
  • Challenging Behavior
  • Self-Injurious Behavior
  • Autism
  • Tics, Tourette Syndrome & Stereotypies

Written by Dennis McGuire, Ph.D. & Brian Chicoine, M.D.

In 1992, Dennis McGuire, PhD, and Brian Chicoine, MD, founded the Adult Down Syndrome Center of Lutheran General Hospital in suburban Chicago. The Center, now a part of Advocate Aurora Health, has served over 6,000 adults with Down syndrome since its inception.

Brian Chicoine received his medical degree from Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He completed his Family Medicine residency at Lutheran General Hospital, where he is now on the faculty. Dr. Chicoine has worked
with people with intellectual disabilities in a variety of capacities for more than forty years. He is the father of three, the grandfather of one, and he lives with his wife in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Dennis McGuire is the former director of Psychosocial Services for the Adult Down Syndrome Center. More recently he served as Senior Consultant with
the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in Denver, Colorado. Dr. McGuire received his master’s degree from the University of Chicago and his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His work experience includes over forty years in the mental health and developmental disabilities field as a clinician, presenter, and writer.

Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist at the Adult Down Syndrome Center. Dr. Frank received her occupational therapy degree from Saint Louis University and her doctoral degree in Disability Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Most of her work has been with individuals with Down syndrome of all ages. Dr. Frank has experience with treatment and evaluation as well as facilitating groups for people with Down syndrome, conducting trainings for staff, families, and caregivers, and offering a variety of other educational opportunities across the US. Her research is published in peer-reviewed journals.

Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrom
Written by Dennis McGuire, Ph.D. & Brian Chicoine, M.D.
Second Edition / Woodbine House / isbn 978-1-60613-285-2 / 2021 / Paperback / 7″ x 10″ / 466 pages /