Course Description
Primary psychiatric disorders affecting school-age children and the behavioral difficulties that might qualify a child for psychological services. The DSM-5 classification system and diagnostic criteria are presented.
Athena Title
Abnormal Child Psychology
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in EPSY 4240E, EPSY 4240H
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students should: 1) have an understanding of what differentiates normal from abnormal functioning, 2) take an integrative, developmental-systems perspective on child and adolescent psychopathology rather than a simplistic understanding of diagnostic criteria, 3) take into consideration the biological, social, affective, cognitive, and developmental aspects of disorder and how these aspects relate to the etiology, impairment, and expression of disorder, 4) have an understanding of risk and protective factors that underlie and relate to disorder, many of which cut across disorders, 5) have a working knowledge of the disorders and behavioral problems that typically are diagnosed in childhood (e.g., ADHD) as well as disorders that affect children but are not specific to childhood (e.g., Depressive Disorders), 6) have sensitivity to how cultural, contextual, and developmental issues might impact the development of disorder as well as our assessment of individuals for the presence of a disorder.
Topical Outline
1. Normal and abnormal behavior 2. Theories and causes 3. Scientific approach to researching disorders 4. Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment 5. Intellectual and learning disorders 6. Autism-spectrum disorder 7. Childhood- and early-onset schizophrenia 8. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder 9. Conduct problems 10. Depressive disorders 11. Bipolar disorders 12. Anxiety disorders 13. Obsessive-compulsive disorders 14. Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
Syllabus