Course Objectives: This is a graduate level seminar in clinical child psychopathology. The course focuses on the integration of theory, etiology, research, treatment, and prevention of developmental psychopathology. In addition to learning about specific types of abnormal behavior that infants, children, and adolescents experience, the course will also provide an overview of how to assess these problems, how to treat these problems, and how to work toward prevention of these problems.

A primary objective of this course is for students to integrate their scholarly learning of the course material with applied aspects of the material. In addition, students will get a chance to integrate their knowledge from other related areas (such as developmental psychology, abnormal adult psychology, sociology, and family systems). Students will have the opportunity to express their learning in written format, as well as through oral discussions in the classroom. Students will be encouraged to develop additional analytical thinking skills by critically evaluating original research in child psychopathology and by applying their knowledge of child psychopathology to specific case studies and first-person accounts of maladaptive behavior in childhood and adolescence.

Students will be expected to be highly self-motivated and independent, and have proficient English reading skills. Students will take the responsibility for reviewing the DSM-IV criteria and presenting them in class. Students will do a journal article critique and an integrative paper presentation, both of which are to be written in English. Class time will be devoted to student presentations and discussions related to conceptualizations of each disorder, diagnostic criteria, assessment, and differential diagnosis.

This course is mostly taught in English.