BVI Resource Details

This booklet addresses the issues involved in working with children and adolescents who have disabling conditions and use alcohol and other drugs. An introductory chapter notes the need for increasing attention to alcohol and drug problems among individuals with disabling conditions. The second chapter provides evidence suggesting that the incidence of use and abuse of alcohol and drugs in this population is similar to that in nondisabled populations, with some groups at particular risk. The importance of understanding personal competence and contextual issues associated with alcohol and drug use is stressed. The third chapter looks at implications for practitioners, focusing on the need for practitioners to develop a basic understanding of the issues associated with alcohol and drug abuse in this group. The last chapter examines implications for program development, stressing the need for programs to be comprehensive, integrated into community-based efforts, and targeted to multiple environmental or contextual influences as well as individual behavior. The book also includes 88 references; a resource list of publications, agencies and organizations, and special projects and curricula; and a treatment selection checklist. (DB)