Disorders of Childhood Development and Psychopathology

Written with the whole child in mind, this book discusses disorders in connection with the different stages of development, providing both a meaningful framework to promote learning. The authors emphasize multi-factor explanations of disorders as well as developmental frameworks and developmental pathways--presenting disorders and sets of disorders in the order in which they typically appear in a child's life. They also focus on the child-in-context (calling attention to the multiple settings in which the child is embedded) and emphasize the importance of taking a broad view that considers the whole child and his or her patterns of interest, abilities, and strengths, rather than a narrow view of a disorder or developmental delay. As a result of this holistic approach, which reflects the most up-to-date understanding of child and adolescent psychopathology, readers learn to think about disorders in the same way that caring adults think about disorders they encounter every day--in terms of an individual child who is coping with distress and dysfunction.