AAIDD's "Intellectual Disability and the Death Penalty: A Guide" now available!

The AAIDD ID and death penalty guide is now available at the AAIDD webpage!  Although the title is focused on the death penalty and ID (Atkins cases), having written two of the chapters (Flynn effect; Intellectual functioning), I believe all professionals in the field of psychological, assessment and ID should have this reference book--it presents recommendations for ID practice that go well beyond the official AAIDD classification book (the Green book) and are relevant to ID assessment practices in general.

Description of the guide at the AAIDD webpage.

• In the 2002 landmark decision Atkins v. Virginia 536 U.S. 304, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that executing a person with intellectual disability is a violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment,” but left states to determine their own criteria for intellectual disability. AAIDD has always advocated against the death penalty for people with intellectual disability and has long provided amicus curiae briefs in Supreme Court cases. Thus, in this comprehensive new book published by AAIDD, notable authors in the field of intellectual disability discuss all aspects of the issues, with a particular focus on foundational considerations, assessment factors and issues, and professional concerns in Atkins assessments.

The Death Penalty and Intellectual Disability: AAIDD forthcoming pub--TOC with authors and chapter titles

    

 The Death Penalty and Intellectual Disability: A Guide (1/3/14)*

* Note the above title is as registered by AAIDD with Library of Congress and as presentedon their website. The working title of the task force had been:  Determining Intellectual Disability in the Courts: Focus on Capital Cases

 

As described at the AAIDD publications page:

 In the 2002 landmark decision Atkins v. Virginia 536 U.S. 304, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that executing a person with intellectual disability is a violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment,” but left states to determine their own criteria for intellectual disability. AAIDD has always advocated against the death penalty for people with intellectual disability and has long provided amicus curiae briefs in Supreme Court cases. Thus, in this comprehensive new book published by AAIDD, notable authors in the field of intellectual disability discuss all aspects of the issues, with a particular focus on foundational considerations, assessment factors and issues, and professional concerns in Atkins assessments. 

                     

Chapter	Titles	Authors
	Preface	Ed Polloway
	Foreword	Honorable Kevin Foley
	Part 1:  Foundational Considerations
1	Guide for Persons with Intellectual Disability and Capital Cases: An Introduction	Edward A. Polloway James R. Patton J. David Smith
2	Intellectual Disability:  A Review of its Definitions and Diagnostic Criteria	Marc J. Tassé
3	Mild Intellectual Disability	Gary Siperstein Melissa Collins
4	Analysis of Atkins Cases	John Blume Karen Salekin
	Part 2:  Assessment Considerations
	A.  General Topics:
5	Concepts of Measurement	Keith Widaman
6	Age of Onset and the Developmental Period Criterion	Stephen Greenspan George Woods Harvey Switzky
	B. Intellectual Functioning:
7	Intellectual Functioning: Conceptual Issues	Kevin McGrew
8	Consideration in the Selection and Analysis of IQ Tests	Dale Watson
9	Variability of IQ scores	Stephen Greenspan J. Gregory Olley
10	Norm Obsolescence: The Flynn Effect	Kevin McGrew
	C. Adaptive Behavior:
11	Evolving Concepts of Adaptive Behavior	Stephen Greenspan
12	Selection of Appropriate Adaptive Behavior Instruments	J. Gregory Olley
13	Challenges in Assessment of Adaptive Behavior in Capital Cases	Caroline Everington Gilbert S. Macvaugh III Karen Salekin Timothy J. Derning
14	Time at Which Disability Must Be Shown in Atkins Cases	J. Gregory Olley
15	Briseño Factors	Stephen Greenspan
	Part 3:  Related Topics
16	Cultural Factors in Assessment	Richard Ruth
17	Assessment Issues: Competence to Waive Miranda Rights and Competence to Stand Trial	Karen Salekin Caroline Everington
18	Considerations of Retrospective Assessment and Malingering	Denis Keyes David Freedman
19	Intellectual Disability, Comorbid Disorders and Differential Diagnosis	George Woods David Freedman Timothy J. Derning
20	School and Other Key Records	James Patton
21	Relevance of Other Assessments in Atkins Evaluations	Karen Salekin Gilbert S. Macvaugh III Timothy J. Derning
22	Professional Issues in Atkins Assessments	Gilbert S. Macvaugh III Mark D. Cunningham Marc J. Tassé