Psychological diagnosis in children
Psychological diagnosis in children involves ongoing information gathering and decision making, with each step of the assessment process predicated on previously obtained information. Ultimately, information from all steps is integrated to evaluate a child’s emotional, behavioral, and social functioning and is interpreted in the context of historical and cultural variables. The psychological assessment of children has been defined as “an exploratory, hypothesis-testing process in which a range of developmentally sensitive and empirically validated procedures is used to understand a given child, group, or social ecology and to formulate and evaluate specific intervention procedures” (Ollendick & Hersen, 1993, p. 6). When the assessment process is done, the diagnosis gets identified.
Although it is sometimes assumed that childhood and adolescence are times of carefree bliss, as many as 20% of children and adolescents have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder that causes distress and functional impairment. Internalizing disorders are frequently found to be the most common type of psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents from different countries:
a) anxiety disorders;
b) stress-related disorders;
c) mood disorders;
d) obsessive-compulsive disorder;
e) disruptive behavioral disorders (eg, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder)
f) neurodevelopmental disorders, etc.
There is considerable controversy over whether to use a dimensional or categorical approach to the study and classification of child behavior problems. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses and these approaches are frequently viewed as antagonistic and mutually incompatible.
Charlotte Johnston, Candice Murray. (2003). Incremental validity in the psychological assessment of children and adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 15 (4), p.496-507. Retrieved from: https://surl.li/extxyn
Ollendick, T. H., & King, N. J. (1994). Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of internalizing problems in children: the role of longitudinal data. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62 (5), p.918-927. Retrieved from: https://surl.li/dnedyj
Elia, J. (2023, July 13). Overview of Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents. MSD Manual Professional Edition. Retrieved from: https://surl.li/dnjabr