Psychology 305 Atypical Development Chapter 15

Atypical Development  Frequency  Psychopathologies of Childhood  Intellectual Atypical Development  Schooling Concerns

Atypical Development  Frequency Majority of children at some point have some “non-normal” or lagging portion of development Usually labeled if persists longer than 6 months Table % of all children show some form of pathology

Atypical Development  How do we understand it? Developmental Psychopathology Key points  All abnormal and normal behavior stems from the same basic processes  Approach is developmental or “pathways” that lead to deviant and non-deviant behavior  Sequences of experiences

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  3 categories of disorders Externalizing Problems  Disturbances of conduct Internalizing Problems  Emotional disturbances Attention Problems  adhd

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  Externalizing Problems Conduct disorders  Antisocial characteristics of behavior  High levels of aggression, argumentativeness, bullying, disobedience, threatening and loud behavior  Childhood Onset  Aggression and behavior begins in early childhood and persists through adolescence  Life course persistent

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies- childhood onset  Pathway Many risk factors  Harder temperament, lower intelligence, lower SES  Insecure/Disorganized or Insecure/Avoidant attachments  Throw many tantrums and defy parents regularly  Drug and alcohol abuse, school drop out or expulsion  70% relation to adult aggression

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  Conduct Disorders cont. Adolescent Onset Conduct Disorders  Adolescence limited delinquents  Behavior begins only in adolescents  Deviance typically milder “wrong crowd”

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  Delinquency Intentional lawbreaking Not always consistent with conduct disorder 10% arrest rate for all children between yrs Most minor misdemeanors, but some felonies When self reported rates are even higher Majority of teens do not persist into adult delinquency

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  Internalized Problems Depression  30-40% of adolescents experience a depression episode  Clinical depression more rare—up to 8 %  Number one risk factor after puberty is being female  Function of number of stressors  Family life, illnesses, work stress, loss of income, marital separation

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  Adolescent Suicide Successful suicides more common in males then females Attempts more common in females Risk factors  Emotional disturbance  History of physical or sexual abuse  Aggressive history  Family history of psychiatric disorders

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  Suicide Cont. Other important risk factors  Significant stressful event—catalyst  Failure in valued activity or significant other  Altered mental state  Hopelessness, reduced inhibitions  Severe mood swings—rage  Opportunities present  Guns, pills, alcohol etc…  Absence of emotional connection with parents

Atypical Development- Psychopathologies  Attention Problems ADHD  Physical restlessness and inability to concentrate  Diagnostic criteria, table 15.2

ADHD  Symptom logy Cannot stay focused on a task that requires mental effort Often act impulsively ignoring social rules Lashing out with hostility when frustrated

Occurrence  3-5% of school aged children  Boys at least 3X more likely to be diagnosed

ADHD  Causes Heredity must play role  Runs in families and occurs more often in identical than fraternal twins  Reduced electrical and blood flow activity inf rontal lobes Environment plays a role  Unhappy marriages and family stress high  Exacerbating influences  Prenatal teratogens  Alcohol, illegal drugs, and cigarettes.  Parental coercive power struggles

Intellectual Atypical Developments  Mental Retardation Consistently subaverage intellectual performance—IQ lower than 75 Also must occur with maladaptive behavior Only 2% of low IQ young children are extremely retarded

Intellectual  Physical anomaly Down’s Syndrome Fragile X Car accident, teratogen, anoxia  Environment and Biology Majority of mentally retarded children Low IQ parents, disorganized/disrupted homes