__________________________________________________________
1 Introduction to Normal and Abnormal Behavior
in Children and Adolescents
__________________________________________________________
Chapter Summary:
Views of children with mental disorders has changed over the centuries, from harsh
treatments in the 17th and 18th centuries, to the belief that children needed moral guidance
and support, to a custodial model popular in the early 20th century, to behavioral therapy.
Defining the term psychological disorder is a difficult task, but it has been broadly defined as
a pattern of symptoms associated with features of distress and/or disability, and/or
increased risk of further suffering or harm. Recent longitudinal studies have found that by
their 21st birthday, 3 out of 5 young adults meet criteria for a well-specified psychiatric
disorder. In addition, a significant number of children do not grow out of their childhood
difficulties. Childhood poverty is a daily reality for about 1 in 4 children in the United States
and 1 in 7 in Canada. Poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage, sex differences, race,
ethnicity, culture, child maltreatment and non-accidental trauma, other special issues
concerning adolescents and sexual minority youths, and lifespan implications are all factors
that influence the changing rates and expression of mental disorders.
Learning Objectives:
1. To outline some of the critical issues in abnormal child psychology
2. To describe important features that distinguish most child and adolescent disorders
, 3. To identify key historical breakthroughs in abnormal child psychology
4. To consider how children’s mental health problems were addressed in the past and
how this view has changed over time
5. To define the term “psychological disorder” and discuss some of the implications of
this definition
6. To explain the purpose of defining psychological disorders
7. To consider some of the factors that influence a child’s development and outcomes
8. To discuss the significance of children’s mental health today
9. To identify some of the key factors that affect rates and expression of children’s
mental disorders
10. To examine the main goals for studying psychological disorders in childhood
Chapter Outline:
I. Historical Views and Breakthroughs
Historically, children were often ignored or subjected to harsh treatment
because of the belief that they would die, were possessed, or were
the property of their parents
,A. The Emergence of Social Conscience
1. In the 17th century, John Locke, an English philosopher and
physician, advanced the belief that children should be raised with
thought and care, rather than indifference and harsh treatment. He
saw the importance of treating children with kindness and
understanding and providing them with opportunities for education
2. Jean-Marc Itard undertook one of the first documented efforts to
work with a special needs child around the turn of the 19th century,
an undertaking that launched a new era of a helping orientation
towards children
3. Although not entirely clear, the distinction was made in the latter
half of the 19th century between individuals with intellectual
disabilities (“imbeciles”) and individuals with psychiatric disorders
(“lunatics”)
4. Children with normal cognitive abilities but disturbing behavior
were said to be suffering from “moral insanity”
5. Advances in medicine, physiology, and neurology led to a
replacement of the moral insanity view by the organic disease
model, and the growing influence of philosophies of Locke and
others fostered the belief that children needed moral guidance and
support
B. Early Biological Attributions
1. Early attempts at biological explanations for abnormal behavior
were very biased in favor of locating the cause of the problem within
the individual
2. The view of mental disorders as being “diseases” meant that they
were progressive and irreversible, and resistant to treatment or
learning
3. The early educational and humane model for assisting persons with
mental disorders returned to a custodial model during the early part
of the 20th century, meaning that attitudes towards those with
mental disabilities were once again hostile and negative. Many
communities chose to prevent the transmission of these mental
“diseases” through sterilization and institutionalization.
C. Early Psychological Attributions
, 1. Psychological influences did not emerge until the early 1900s,
corresponding with the formulation of a taxonomy of illnesses
(diagnostic categorization system)
2. Psychoanalytic theory linked mental disorders to childhood
experiences; for the first time the course of mental disorders was not
viewed as inevitable
3. Behaviorism laid the foundation for studying conditioning and
elimination of children’s fears
D. Evolving Forms of Treatment
1. Up until the late 1940s, most children with intellectual or mental
disorders were institutionalized
2. Research in the mid 1940s by Rene Spitz revealed the very harmful
impact of institutional life on children’s physical and emotional
development; within the following 20-year period there was a rapid
decline in institutionalization and an increase in foster family and
group home placements
3. In the 1950s and 1960s behavior therapy emerged as a systematic
approach to treatment of child and family disorders
E. Progressive Legislation
1. In countries such as the U.S. and Canada, many laws have been
enacted in the past few decades to protect the rights of children with
special needs
a. Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA): the US mandates that
free and appropriate education be provided for K-12 children
with special needs in the least restrictive environment
b. Each child must be assessed with culturally appropriate tests
c. Individualized Educational Plan (IEP): each child must have an
IEP tailored to his or her needs, and must be re-assessed
2. In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new
convention and treaty to enact laws and other measures to improve
disability rights, and abolish legislation, customs, and practices that
discriminate against persons with disabilities
II. What is Abnormal Behavior in Children and Adolescents?
A. Defining Psychological Disorders
1 Introduction to Normal and Abnormal Behavior
in Children and Adolescents
__________________________________________________________
Chapter Summary:
Views of children with mental disorders has changed over the centuries, from harsh
treatments in the 17th and 18th centuries, to the belief that children needed moral guidance
and support, to a custodial model popular in the early 20th century, to behavioral therapy.
Defining the term psychological disorder is a difficult task, but it has been broadly defined as
a pattern of symptoms associated with features of distress and/or disability, and/or
increased risk of further suffering or harm. Recent longitudinal studies have found that by
their 21st birthday, 3 out of 5 young adults meet criteria for a well-specified psychiatric
disorder. In addition, a significant number of children do not grow out of their childhood
difficulties. Childhood poverty is a daily reality for about 1 in 4 children in the United States
and 1 in 7 in Canada. Poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage, sex differences, race,
ethnicity, culture, child maltreatment and non-accidental trauma, other special issues
concerning adolescents and sexual minority youths, and lifespan implications are all factors
that influence the changing rates and expression of mental disorders.
Learning Objectives:
1. To outline some of the critical issues in abnormal child psychology
2. To describe important features that distinguish most child and adolescent disorders
, 3. To identify key historical breakthroughs in abnormal child psychology
4. To consider how children’s mental health problems were addressed in the past and
how this view has changed over time
5. To define the term “psychological disorder” and discuss some of the implications of
this definition
6. To explain the purpose of defining psychological disorders
7. To consider some of the factors that influence a child’s development and outcomes
8. To discuss the significance of children’s mental health today
9. To identify some of the key factors that affect rates and expression of children’s
mental disorders
10. To examine the main goals for studying psychological disorders in childhood
Chapter Outline:
I. Historical Views and Breakthroughs
Historically, children were often ignored or subjected to harsh treatment
because of the belief that they would die, were possessed, or were
the property of their parents
,A. The Emergence of Social Conscience
1. In the 17th century, John Locke, an English philosopher and
physician, advanced the belief that children should be raised with
thought and care, rather than indifference and harsh treatment. He
saw the importance of treating children with kindness and
understanding and providing them with opportunities for education
2. Jean-Marc Itard undertook one of the first documented efforts to
work with a special needs child around the turn of the 19th century,
an undertaking that launched a new era of a helping orientation
towards children
3. Although not entirely clear, the distinction was made in the latter
half of the 19th century between individuals with intellectual
disabilities (“imbeciles”) and individuals with psychiatric disorders
(“lunatics”)
4. Children with normal cognitive abilities but disturbing behavior
were said to be suffering from “moral insanity”
5. Advances in medicine, physiology, and neurology led to a
replacement of the moral insanity view by the organic disease
model, and the growing influence of philosophies of Locke and
others fostered the belief that children needed moral guidance and
support
B. Early Biological Attributions
1. Early attempts at biological explanations for abnormal behavior
were very biased in favor of locating the cause of the problem within
the individual
2. The view of mental disorders as being “diseases” meant that they
were progressive and irreversible, and resistant to treatment or
learning
3. The early educational and humane model for assisting persons with
mental disorders returned to a custodial model during the early part
of the 20th century, meaning that attitudes towards those with
mental disabilities were once again hostile and negative. Many
communities chose to prevent the transmission of these mental
“diseases” through sterilization and institutionalization.
C. Early Psychological Attributions
, 1. Psychological influences did not emerge until the early 1900s,
corresponding with the formulation of a taxonomy of illnesses
(diagnostic categorization system)
2. Psychoanalytic theory linked mental disorders to childhood
experiences; for the first time the course of mental disorders was not
viewed as inevitable
3. Behaviorism laid the foundation for studying conditioning and
elimination of children’s fears
D. Evolving Forms of Treatment
1. Up until the late 1940s, most children with intellectual or mental
disorders were institutionalized
2. Research in the mid 1940s by Rene Spitz revealed the very harmful
impact of institutional life on children’s physical and emotional
development; within the following 20-year period there was a rapid
decline in institutionalization and an increase in foster family and
group home placements
3. In the 1950s and 1960s behavior therapy emerged as a systematic
approach to treatment of child and family disorders
E. Progressive Legislation
1. In countries such as the U.S. and Canada, many laws have been
enacted in the past few decades to protect the rights of children with
special needs
a. Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA): the US mandates that
free and appropriate education be provided for K-12 children
with special needs in the least restrictive environment
b. Each child must be assessed with culturally appropriate tests
c. Individualized Educational Plan (IEP): each child must have an
IEP tailored to his or her needs, and must be re-assessed
2. In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new
convention and treaty to enact laws and other measures to improve
disability rights, and abolish legislation, customs, and practices that
discriminate against persons with disabilities
II. What is Abnormal Behavior in Children and Adolescents?
A. Defining Psychological Disorders
