Chapter 1

Question 1

Research studies in abnormal child psychology seek to:

Answer 1

• Define normal and abnormal behavior for children of different ages, sexes, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds
• Identify the cases and correlates of abnormal behavior
• Make predictions about long-term outcomes
• Develop and evaluate methods for treatment and/or prevention

Question 2

Features that distinguish child and adolescent disorders:

Answer 2

• When adults seek services for children, it is not often clear whose “problem” it is - children dont refer themselves.
• Many child and adolescent problems involve a failure to show expected developmental progress
• Many problem behaviors shown by children and youths are not entirely abnormal- requires familiarity with psychological disorders
• Interventions for children and adolescents are often intended to promote further development, rather than merely to restore a previous level of functioning

Question 3

Historical Views and Breakthroughs

• Ancient Greek/Roman view:
• Before 18th century:
• Massachusetts’ Stubborn Child Act of 1654

Answer 3

Ancient Greek/Roman view:

• The disabled were an economic burden and social embarrassment to be scorned, abandoned, or put to death

Before 18th century:

• Children’s mental health problems were ignored
• Curch atributed childens unusual behaviour to their uncivilized and provocative nature
• Children were subjected to harsh treatment due to beliefs that they would die, were possessed, or were parents’ property
• masturbatory insanity- self indulgence caused insanity

Massachusetts’ Stubborn Child Act of 1654

• By end of 18th century:
• Interest in abnormal child behavior surfaced, although strong church influence attributed behaviors to children’s uncivilized and provocative nature

Question 4

The Emergence of Social Conscience

• John Locke (17th century):
• Jean-Marc Itard (19th century):
• Leta Hollingworth:
• Benjamin Rush:
• Dorothe Dix:

Answer 4

John Locke (17th century):

• Believed children should be raised with thought and care, not indifference and harsh treatment

Jean-Marc Itard (19th century):

• Focused on the care, treatment, and training of “mental defectives”

Leta Hollingworth:

• Distinguished individuals with mental retardation (“imbeciles”) from those with psychiatric disorders (“lunatics”)

Benjamin Rush:

• Children are incapable of adult-like insanity, so those with normal cognitive abilities but disturbing behavior suffer from “moral insanity”

Dorothea Dix:

• created 32 humane mental hospitals for the treatment of troubled youths (previously kept in cellars

Question 5

Early Biological Attributes

• Late 19th century:
• Clifford Beers 1909:
• Problems:

Answer 5

Late 19th century:

• Strengthened belief that diseases are biological problems
• Early attempts at biological explanations were highly biased, locating cause within individual child or adult

Clifford Beers 1909:

• critizcized society’s ignorange
• Led to detection and intervention
• Intervention was limited to the most visible disorders

Problems:

• Belief that development of disorders could not be influenced by treatment or learning, caused a return to custodial care and punishment of behaviors
• The view of mental disorders as “diseases” led to fear of contamination
• Many communities used eugenics (sterilization) and segregation (institutionalization)

Question 6

Early Psychological Attributes

• Psychological influences in early 20th century:
• Psychoanalytic theory:
• Freud:
• Anna Freud:
• Melanie Kline:
• Behaviorism:
• Pavlov:
• Watson:

Answer 6

Psychological influences in early 20th century:

• Attention was drawn to formulating a taxonomy of illnesses

Psychoanalytic theory:

Freud:

• Linked mental disorders to childhood experiences
• believed that children had inborn drives and predispositions that affected their development
• experiences played a necesary role in psychopathology
• firs to give meaning to chilhood disorders by linking it to childhood experiences

Anna Freud:

• noted how childrens symptoms were related more to developmental stages

Melanie Kline:

• interest in the meaning of children’s play, interpreted as unconsious fantasy.

Behaviorism:

• Laid the foundation for empirical study of how abnormal behavior develops and can be treated through conditioning

Pavlov:

• Research on classical conditioning

Watson:

• Studies on elimination of children’s fears and theory of emotions
• Little Albert

Question 7

Evolving Forms of Treatment

• Psychodynamic approaches:
• Rene Spitz:
• Behaviour therapy:

Answer 7

Psychodynamic approaches:

• Were still dominant between 1930 and 1950
• Most children with intellectual or mental disorders were institutionalized

Rene Spitz:

• studies regarding the harmful impact of institutional life on children’s growth and development

Behaviour therapy:

• Between 1945 and 1965, the number of children in institutions decreased while the number of children in foster care and group homes increased
• In the 1950s and 1960s behavior therapy was the systematic approach to treatment of child and family disorders- in has grown today

Question 8

Progressive Legislation

• IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) USA:
• United Nations General Assembly (2007)

Answer 8

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) USA:

• Free and appropriate public education for children with special needs in the least restrictive environment
• Each child must be assessed with culturally appropriate tests
• Individualized education program (IEP) for each child

United Nations General Assembly (2007)

• adopted a new convention to protect the rights of persons with disabilities
• Countries that ratify the convention agree to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights, and also to abolish legislation, customs, and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities

Question 9

• What is Abnormal Behavior in Children and Adolescents?

Answer 9

• various layers of abnormal behavior or development.
• Must understand children’s individual strengths and abilities in order to assist them in healthy adaptation
• Must also be sensitive to each child’s stage of development

Question 10

What are Psychological Disorders?

Answer 10

• Traditionally defined as patterns of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or physical symptoms associated with one or more of the following:
• Distress
• Disability
• Increased risk for further suffering or harm
• Excludes circumstances where reactions are expected and appropriate as defined by one’s cultural background
• Describes behaviors, not causes

Question 11

Competence

Answer 11

• Definitions of abnormal child behavior must take into account the child’s competence: the ability to successfully adapt in the environment
• Must consider the degree of maladaptive behavior and also the extent to which they achieve normal developmental milestones
• Knowledge of developmental tasks, such as conduct and academic achievement, is fundamental for determining developmental progress and impairments

Question 12

Developmental Pathways

Answer 12

• The sequence and timing of particular behaviors as well as the possible relationships between behaviors over time
• By looking at possible developmental pathways, we gain a better understanding of the ways in which children’s problems may change or remain over time
• Some evidence that disorders have a particular age of onset
• Sometimes onset is insidious

Question 13

Impact of Developmental Level.

• Multifinality:

Equifinality:

Answer 13

Multifinality:
Various outcomes may stem from similar beginnings

Equifinality:
Similar outcomes stem from different early experiences and developmental pathways

Question 14

• Risk factors
• Known risk factors:
• Protective factors:
• Resilience:

Answer 14

Risk factors:

• variables that precede a negative outcome and increase the chances that the outcome will occur
• Typically involve acute, stressful situations, as well as chronic adversity

Known risk factors:

• Chronic poverty, serious care-giving deficits, parental mental illness, death of a parent, community disasters, homelessness, family breakup, pregnancy and birth complications

Protective factors:

• personal or situational variables that reduce the chances of a child developing a disorder

Resilience:

• The ability to fight off or recover from misfortune
• Associated with strong self-confidence, coping skills, ability to avoid risk situations, ability to fight off or recover from misfortune
• Not a universal, categorical, or fixed attribute; it varies across time and situations
• Connected to a “protective triad” of resources and health promoting events: Strength of the child, Strength of the family, Strength of the school, community