Chapter 11

Childhood Disorders in DSM

• DSM: no disorders

• DMS II: handful

• DSM III: developmental consideraitons

• DSM IV: >2 dozen disorders

• DSM V: developmentally sensitive criteria for nearly all disorders

Unique Characteristics of Clinical Child Psychology

• focus on developmental stages

• attention to the context of behavior

• processes for seeking help

• special ethical concerns

Focus on Developmental Stages

• what is appropriate or typical for developmental stage

• most “symptoms” of childhood disorders occur at some point in most children

• parents likely not familiar with norms

• helpful in designing and explaining appropriate treatments

Attention to the Contexts of Behavior

• greater influence of environment on children’s behavior

• have little to no control over their environment

• may show more variability form one setting to the next

• important to assess in multiple contexts

Processes for Seeking Help

children usually do not have power to initiate or stop treatment

Special Ethical Concerns

• young: clinicians can share info w parents/legal guardians

• adolescents: most info kept confidential unless clients or others are in danger or shared with permission

Clinical Assessment of Children

• Behavior Rating Scales

• Clinical Interviews

• Intelligence and Achievement Tests

• Projective Tests

• Behavioral Observations

Understanding Behavior: ABC Model

• antecedent

• behavior

• consequence

Geropsychology

focuses on the mental and emotional well-being of older adults, addressing issues like memory loss, depression, anxiety, and grief, while also helping them adapt to life changes such as retirement and loss of independence

Unique Characteristics of Clinical Geropsychology

• training

  • Pikes Peak Model

• work settings

  • primary care doctor’s offices and geriatric clinics

  • long-term care and assisted living facilities

  • home-based and palliative care

Assessment of Older Adults

• need to accommodate age-related sensory deficits

• need to rule our age-related medical illness, medication side-effects, and expected age-related changes

• familiarity with neuropsychological measures, age-specialized clinical interviews, review of medical records as relevant

Treatment of Older Adults

• clients may have significant impairments in cognitive processing speed, memory, and reasoning

• manny older adults have both medical and psychological disorders

• specialized issues like retirement and bereavement

• ethical consideration include mental capacity of the client and confidentiality