Developmental disorders
Lecture 1: introduction
What is normal? Consider these
Developmental norms
Cultural norms
Gender norms
Situational norms
Role of adults
Changing view of abnormality
Developmental disorders
Psychopathology is behaviour that once was, but no longer can be, considered
appropriate to the child’s level of development
o E.g. being 10 but having the reading level of a 6 year old
o 15-20% of the population has a developmental disorder
When does a child deviate from the norm?
o Developmental delay
o Regression or deterioration
o Extremely high or low in frequency of behaviour
o Extremely high or low in intensity of behaviour
o Behavioural difficulties persist over time
o Behaviour is inappropriate to the situation
o Abrupt changes in behaviour
o Behaviour quality is different from normal
Behaviours that are considered bizarre or totally different from the
norm
Significant norms
o Culture and ethnicity
o Gender
Males → externalizing/ more disorders
Females → internalizing/ eating disorders
o Age (developmental curve)
Autism → ADHD → learning problems → conduct disorders → drug
abuse
o Lifestyle changes (related to age)
Focus on body size, more drug abuse
Developmental psychopathology
The study of developmental processes that contribute to, or protect against,
psychopathology
Etiology and pathophysiology are still unknown
Therapeutic interventions are only partly effective, still mainly symptomatic and often
do not bring the complete cure
o A large number and wide diversity of treatments for children currently exist,
many of which are expensive, intrusive and not supported by scientific
evidence
General developmental framework
5 contexts
o Biological
o Individual
, o Family
o Social
o Cultural
5 models of child psychopathology
Medical
Behavioural
Cognitive
Psychoanalytic
Family systems
Medical
Psychopathology results from organic dysfunction
o No psychological treatment but you need medicine etc.
Problems are individuals
Classifying psychopathological behaviours → diagnosis
ICD-10 and DSM
Behavioural
Observed behaviours/ empirical and experimental paradigm
Learning principles
, o classic/ respondent conditioning (watson)
o Operant conditioning (skinner)
o Imitation
o Social learning theory (bandura)
Behaviour as result of these learning principles
Excess or deficit in frequency and intensity (compared to cultural and developmental
norms)
Cognitive models
Piaget
o Fixed order of stages
o Schema
o Assimilation/ accommodation
You only learn when your own scheme is faulty and you have to
accommodate
Psychoanalytic models
Classic psychoanalysis (Freud)
o Structural model with id, ego and superego
o Psychosexual stages with fixations and regression
o Critique
Complex theory
Based on clinical observations, not objective data
Assumptions difficult to test
Ego Psychology (Erikson)
Object relation theory (Bowlby)
o Attachment (Ainsworth): secure vs. insecure attachment (avoidant/ resistant/
disorganized) → emotional reactivity and regulation is crucial for adaptive
development
Family systems model
Family as a developing system (dynamic system is more than just the sum of its
parts)
Structural family system theory
o Family consists of subsystems
o parent/ child
o Brothers and sisters
o Parents as a couple
Psychopathology is located in the relational structures of family life and/ or
triangulation of the child in the parental subsystem (triangulation has a conflict
somewhere)
o Bonds that are too strong may lead to dysfunction
, Developmental psychopathology
Contemporary view
The study of developmental processes that contribute to, or protect against,
psychopathology
Empirical basis
Equifinality
o Diverse paths can be associated with the same outcome
E.g. cause 1 is aggressive behaviour from the father since
toddlerhood, cause 2 is the family divorce in adolescence
Multifinality
o Same experiences can be associated with different outcomes
E.g. maltreatment
o Resilience
Positive emotions, social support, coping mechanisms, physical well-
being and have meaning in life
Risk factors
Child
o Hereditary, gene abnormalities, pre- peri- or postnatal complications, health
problems, below average IQ, learning disability, low self-esteem, emotional
immaturity, difficult temperament, social incompetence, peer rejection
Family
o Poverty, abuse, neglect, conflict, psychopathology, stress
Ecological
o Racial, ethnic, gender injustice, neighbourhood disorganisation, crime
Life events
o Death of a parent, war in immediate environment
Protective factors
Child
o Intelligence, sociable nature, social competence, self-confidence, positive
outlook, ability to cope with stress
o Family
Lecture 1: introduction
What is normal? Consider these
Developmental norms
Cultural norms
Gender norms
Situational norms
Role of adults
Changing view of abnormality
Developmental disorders
Psychopathology is behaviour that once was, but no longer can be, considered
appropriate to the child’s level of development
o E.g. being 10 but having the reading level of a 6 year old
o 15-20% of the population has a developmental disorder
When does a child deviate from the norm?
o Developmental delay
o Regression or deterioration
o Extremely high or low in frequency of behaviour
o Extremely high or low in intensity of behaviour
o Behavioural difficulties persist over time
o Behaviour is inappropriate to the situation
o Abrupt changes in behaviour
o Behaviour quality is different from normal
Behaviours that are considered bizarre or totally different from the
norm
Significant norms
o Culture and ethnicity
o Gender
Males → externalizing/ more disorders
Females → internalizing/ eating disorders
o Age (developmental curve)
Autism → ADHD → learning problems → conduct disorders → drug
abuse
o Lifestyle changes (related to age)
Focus on body size, more drug abuse
Developmental psychopathology
The study of developmental processes that contribute to, or protect against,
psychopathology
Etiology and pathophysiology are still unknown
Therapeutic interventions are only partly effective, still mainly symptomatic and often
do not bring the complete cure
o A large number and wide diversity of treatments for children currently exist,
many of which are expensive, intrusive and not supported by scientific
evidence
General developmental framework
5 contexts
o Biological
o Individual
, o Family
o Social
o Cultural
5 models of child psychopathology
Medical
Behavioural
Cognitive
Psychoanalytic
Family systems
Medical
Psychopathology results from organic dysfunction
o No psychological treatment but you need medicine etc.
Problems are individuals
Classifying psychopathological behaviours → diagnosis
ICD-10 and DSM
Behavioural
Observed behaviours/ empirical and experimental paradigm
Learning principles
, o classic/ respondent conditioning (watson)
o Operant conditioning (skinner)
o Imitation
o Social learning theory (bandura)
Behaviour as result of these learning principles
Excess or deficit in frequency and intensity (compared to cultural and developmental
norms)
Cognitive models
Piaget
o Fixed order of stages
o Schema
o Assimilation/ accommodation
You only learn when your own scheme is faulty and you have to
accommodate
Psychoanalytic models
Classic psychoanalysis (Freud)
o Structural model with id, ego and superego
o Psychosexual stages with fixations and regression
o Critique
Complex theory
Based on clinical observations, not objective data
Assumptions difficult to test
Ego Psychology (Erikson)
Object relation theory (Bowlby)
o Attachment (Ainsworth): secure vs. insecure attachment (avoidant/ resistant/
disorganized) → emotional reactivity and regulation is crucial for adaptive
development
Family systems model
Family as a developing system (dynamic system is more than just the sum of its
parts)
Structural family system theory
o Family consists of subsystems
o parent/ child
o Brothers and sisters
o Parents as a couple
Psychopathology is located in the relational structures of family life and/ or
triangulation of the child in the parental subsystem (triangulation has a conflict
somewhere)
o Bonds that are too strong may lead to dysfunction
, Developmental psychopathology
Contemporary view
The study of developmental processes that contribute to, or protect against,
psychopathology
Empirical basis
Equifinality
o Diverse paths can be associated with the same outcome
E.g. cause 1 is aggressive behaviour from the father since
toddlerhood, cause 2 is the family divorce in adolescence
Multifinality
o Same experiences can be associated with different outcomes
E.g. maltreatment
o Resilience
Positive emotions, social support, coping mechanisms, physical well-
being and have meaning in life
Risk factors
Child
o Hereditary, gene abnormalities, pre- peri- or postnatal complications, health
problems, below average IQ, learning disability, low self-esteem, emotional
immaturity, difficult temperament, social incompetence, peer rejection
Family
o Poverty, abuse, neglect, conflict, psychopathology, stress
Ecological
o Racial, ethnic, gender injustice, neighbourhood disorganisation, crime
Life events
o Death of a parent, war in immediate environment
Protective factors
Child
o Intelligence, sociable nature, social competence, self-confidence, positive
outlook, ability to cope with stress
o Family
