Discuss the three major underlying assumptions regarding abnormal child behavior.
- abnormal child behaviour is multiply determined
- look beyond current symptoms and consider developmental pathways and interacting events - child and environment are interdependent
- nature and nurture work together
Distinguish between continuous and discontinuous patterns of behavior development. Which category would an eating disorder fall? Which category would persistent conduct disorders fall?
Continuous = developmental changes are gradual and quantitative, feature patterns that can be predictive
discontinous = dev changes are abrupt and qualitative
What is meant by using an integrative approach to understanding factors that influence a child’s behavior?
- be familiar with many theories and conceptual models
Most children follow a predictable pattern of development in terms of walking, talking, learning, and so on.
Additionally most clinical disorders commonly appear at predictable points in development. For the following ages, list
two common clinical disorders: 0–2, 2–5, and 6–11.
0-2 = mental retardation andautism
6-11 = ADHD and learning disorders
Discuss the major functions of four major neurotransmitters in the brain and their implicated role in psychopathology.
- GABA reduces arousal and moderates emotional responses, implicated in anxiety
- Dopamine acts as a switch that turns on various brain circuits, allowing other neurotransmitters to work, implicated in schizo, mood, and ADHS
- norepenepherine controls emergy reactions and alarm responses, so important in behavior regulation
- seratonin plays a role in information and motor coordinatio
Briefly describe the three primary dimensions of temperament.
- positive affect and approach = “easy child” who is approachable, adaptive, and able to regulate basic functions
- fearful or inhibited = “slow to warm up child” who is cautious in new situations
- negative affect or irritability = “difficlt child”
In regard to legislation pertaining to children with special needs and education, what is IDEA and what does it
mandate?
- individuals with disabilities education act
- free appropriate public education for any child with special needs in the least restrictive environment possible
What is an IEP and what is its purpose?
- individualised education program tailored to needs of person
What should be considered when diagnosing most child and adolescent psychological disorders?
- stage of development and uniqu method of coping with difficulties
In what ways can low income and/or poverty affect children’s development?
- association with negative influences (harsh, inconsistent parenting and elevated exposure to acute and chronic stressors)
Define the concept of competence. How may competence be assessed?
- ability to successfully adapt in the environment
Distinguish between the concepts of multifinality and equifinality. Provide an example of each concept.
multiafinity = proposed that similar beginnings that result in various outcomes (eg. child maltreatment)
equiaffinity = similar outcomes stem from different beginnings
What are some of the findings regarding sex differences in children’s mental health problems?
Boys = hyperactivity, autism, childhood disruptive behavioural disorders, learning and communicative disorders
girls = adolescent depression, eating disorders
Compare and contrast the psychoanalytic perspective with behaviorism. Discuss the key figures associated with each
area of psychology and major theories. Identify the perspective that has contributed the most to current treatments for
childhood psychological disorders.
psychoanalytic:
- freud
- behaviors are the result of unresolved, unconscious conflicts
behaviorism
- influence of envieronment on behavior and include classical conditioning
- pavlov, watson, skinner
- evidence-based treatment
Distinguish between idiographic and nomothetic case formulations, and indicate when each of these formulations is
useful.
idiographic:
- detailed understanding of the individual symptoms and circumstances, family
nomothetic
- broad inferences that apply to lots of groups
What are cultural syndromes? Why are they important for clinicians to be aware of in relation to understanding
symptoms in children? Provide one example of a cultural syndrome and the symptoms that the clinician may see exhibited
by the child.
- co-occuring synmptoms associated with a culture
- eg. mal de ojo (evil eye) is a malady in which children are especially vulnerably and believe to be caused by a hateful look or glance from a malicious person
- causes fitful sleep, crying without apparent cause,
Describe three ways that a therapist can strive to provide culturally competent mental health services.
- matching children and families with therapists of the same ethnicity
- cutsomizing treatments to culture/values/beliefs
- encorporating cultural narratives
Explain the “ABCs of assessment” and give examples of each.
A = antecedents, or the events that immediatly precede behaviour
B = behaviour of interest
C = consequences, or events that follow
What are the core features of ASD?
the core features of ASD are represented by 2 symptom domains: 1. social communication and social unteracton 2. restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities
In what ways are children with intellectual disability distinguishable from children with intellectual disability in
addition to ASD?
- kids with both have uneven results in tests
Explain the controversial extreme male brain theory of ASD.
systemetized and empathize
Describe three types of attention deficits seen in children with ADHD, and provide an example of each.
- inattention
- inability to sustain attention or stick to talsk for play activities
- bad lanning and organizing - hyperactivity
3.
Distinguish between the different subtypes of ADHD.
- predominantly innatentive (ADHD-PI)
- children who eet symptom criteria for inattention but not hyperactivity-impulsivity - ADHD-HI)
- children wh meet for HI - ADHD-C
- who meet both
