Disorders of Childhood - Mind Psychology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Psychology

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Disorders of Childhood

Ch 15

Classification Issues

• Distinguishing abnormal childhood behavior requires a

knowledge from developmental psychology of what is

normal for a child at a particular age or stage

• Disorders can be viewed as categories or on a continuum

(dimension)

• Control represents a dimensional variable
  • Overcontrolled (internalizing)children show emotional inhibition
  • Undercontrolled (externalizing) children show excessive behaviors (extreme aggressiveness)

Ch 15.

Developmental Psychopathology

• Behavior genetics & neurobiological traumas
• Infant / child temperaments and “the problem of the match” with parental temperaments and expectations
• Attachment theory (Bowlby, Ainsworth, Sroufe)
  • Secure vs. insecure attachment
  • Insecure attachment category may be related to later childhood disorders - “anxious-resistant” category - internalizing disorders - “avoidant”category - externalizing disorders
• How do temperament & attachment interact?
  • Evidence is inconclusive, but see Bokhorst et al. (2004)

Disorders of Undercontrolled

Behavior

• Undercontrolled behavior is excessive or inappropriate

for the situation

• DSM-IV recognizes two classes of undercontrolled

behavior:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves
  • An inability to concentrate on task for an appropriate period of time
  • Difficulties in controlling motor movements in class and other situation (fidgeting, talking)

Ch 15.

Table 15.2 Prevalence of Symptoms and

Behaviors in Adolescents with and without

ADHD

ADHD: Facts and Statistics

• Prevalence (BD, 3rd. Edition)
  • Occurs in 4%-12% of children who are 6 to 12 years of age
  • Symptoms are usually present around age 3 or 4
  • 68% of children with ADHD have problems as adults
• Gender Differences
  • Boys outnumber girls 4 to 1
• Cultural Factors
• Probability of ADHD diagnosis is greatest in the

United States

Psychological Theories of ADHD

• Bettelheim proposed a psychoanalytic view of ADHD in

which hyperactivity results from stress brought on by parental personality (authoritarian, impatient, resentful)

• Learning theory suggests that hyperactivity is

reinforced by the attention it elicits, thereby increasing in frequency and intensity; hyperactivity may represent modeling of older siblings or peers

Ch 15.

Treatment of ADHD

• Stimulant drugs such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) reduce disruptive behavior and improve concentration - Improve compliance and decrease negative behaviors in many children - Medications do not affect learning and academic performance - Beneficial effects are not lasting following drug discontinuation
• Psychological therapy for ADHD involves
  • Parent training
  • Classroom management programs based on operant-conditioning techniques
  • Aim to increase appropriate behaviors and decrease inappropriate behaviors
• Combined Bio-Psycho-Social Treatments
  • Are highly recommended

Ch 15.

Figure 15.1 Arrest rates across ages for

homicide, forcible rape, robbery, assault, and

auto theft

Etiology of Conduct Disorder

• Genetic factors may play a greater role in aggressive

behavior, but a lesser role in delinquency-related behaviors

• e.g. stealing, running away
• Psychological factors include
• Deficiencies in moral training and awareness
• Modeling of aggressive behavior (Bandura)
• Cognitive distortions in which ambiguous actions are interpreted as hostile

Ch 15.

Treatment of Conduct Disorder

• Family intervention involves training parents to reward

prosocial behaviors in their children

• Multisystem treatment targets the child, the

community, the school and the family

• Cognitive approaches involve
  • Anger control training
  • Teaching moral development reasoning

Ch 15.

Learning Disabilities

• Learning disabilities refer to inadequate development

in a specific area of academic, language or motor skills

• The deficit is not due to mental retardation, autism or reduced educational opportunities
• DSM covers 3 areas of learning disabilities
• Learning disorders
• Communication disorders
• Motor skills involve impairment of motor coordination

Ch 15.

Communication Disorder

• Communication disorders include
  • Expressive language disorder involves a difficulty in speech expression - Difficulty in finding the correct word for a concept - Use of grammar is below grade level
  • Phonological disorder refers to a difficulty in articulating speech sounds, but can comprehend words
  • Stuttering involves a problem in verbal fluency in which words are repeated or prolonged

Ch 15.

Mental Retardation

• Mental retardation is defined as
  • Subaverage intellectual functioning
    • IQ score below 70-
  • Deficits in adaptive behaviors such as dressing, use of money, use of tools and of public transportation
  • Onset prior to age eighteen
    • Not due to adult accidents or disease
    • Typical onset is in infancy
• American Association of Mental Retardation’s approach
  • Focus on remedial supports to facilitate higher functioning

Ch 15.