The behaviors that occur in childhood are developmental in nature.
There are specific cognitive and biological milestones that most children accomplish in a positive manner. However, some children struggle due to a variety of factors and problematic behavior and behavioral disorders can emerge. This greatly differs from intellectual/developmental disorders that children are born with. Throughout this section. remember to examine behavioral disorders in these two developmental stages: childhood and adolescence.
The common behavioral disorders that tend to express themselves in childhood and adolescence include anxiety, depression, and disruptive behavioral disorders, and the etiology can be genetics (anxiety) environment (neglect, abuse, family dynamics), and the interaction of these factors. These are all concepts that you will explore as you examine non-normative or atypical behaviors that result in these behaviors being defined as psychopathological.
As you review and dig deeper into these disorders, you must be clear that what you are referring to is mental health in children and that this is often manifested in their behavior.
Overview of the Basics
It is important to understand that all children have problems and that we are interested in those behaviors that become serious. Often childhood behavioral disorders are socio-behavioral or socio-cultural in nature, rather than solely genetic. Child behavioral disorders can begin when a child is a toddler, and then as the child becomes older, other behavioral disorders can manifest themselves. This is due, in part, to the development of cognition and language. A good way to look at this is to think about how toddlers and young children express themselves. Their language skills might be limited, so they will act-out with behavior (tantrums), while teenagers, who is in the formal-operational stage of cognitive development, can express words and feelings.
The most common child mental disorders are anxiety disorders (i.e., separation anxiety, school refusal), depression, and disruptive behavior disorders (oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder).
• Who is the intended audience of the website?
• Does the person(s) producing the content have credibility to do so? Is the person qualified to write this content?
• Is the information provided supported by research?
• Was the information easy to understand with the wording and language used?
• Were concrete suggestions provided to parents that conveyed support?
• What specific behavioral disorders were addressed on these sites?
• If you were a parent with a child or adolescent behavioral disorder, would this site be helpful?
• Did you find these sites credible?
• Determine which level of progression does the content being evaluated falls under (such as first episode of problem behavior, chronic or recurrent problem behavior).
You are not expected to know if the information is reliable and accurate because this is an exercise where you are being asked to view these websites from a parent’s perspective.