Psychology 326: Child and Family Psychopathology
Fall 2004
Wednesday, 2:15-4:45
Professor: Sally Theran, Ph.D.
Office: 484B Science Center; phone: x3001
Email: stheran@wellesley.edu
Office hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 9:30 am Ð 11 am, or by appointment
Course Objectives:
The goals of this course are to give you a thorough understanding of child psychopathology, risk and protective factors for child psychopathology, and to understand the disorders through a developmental systemic framework. In addition, it is hoped that through this course, you will develop your critical thinking skills, and your ability to critically examine research. Finally, writing will be emphasized and it is hoped that you will improve your skills in writing a research paper.
Class Format:
This class will meet once a week in a seminar format; the class meetings will consist of a combination of presentations, discussion, small group discussion, and class activities. It is expected that you will have read the reading material prior to the class meeting so that you can actively participate in discussions. I will bring in case material to enrich your understanding of the course topics, and we will occasionally view films to enrich our discussions. You are expected to attend class everyday; class participation is a substantial component of your final grade in the course. In addition, if you miss class, you are responsible for obtaining information on material covered in class from one of your classmates.
Please feel free to attend my office hours, and contact me if you are having problems with the course material. In addition, feel free to ask questions about the material, or ask me to consult on outlines of the papers.
Requirements:
You are required to bring in two to three thoughtful discussion questions from each group of readings. These will be emailed to me by 9 am on the day we meet, and will comprise part of your discussion grade.
There will be a mid-term exam that will be taken at home and will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. This will be a closed-book exam. This will be due at the beginning of class on November 10th.
There will be two papers for this course. The first paper, due October 20th, will involve picking a childhood or adolescent disorder, and discussing it from the viewpoint of one or two of the theories covered in the first several weeks in class. You should include a description of disorder, brief history of the disorder, epidemiology of disorder, course of disorder, discussion of disorder from perspective of the theories, etiology (causes) of disorder, and a critical analysis of the disorder. This paper will be 7-10 pages in length and should include at least seven empirical journal articles. If you would like to write about a disorder that we will not explicitly cover in class, please contact me by September 22nd to receive approval on your paper topic. The second paper, due December 8th, will incorporate reviewer comments from Paper 1, and will be 15-20 pages in length. This paper should include at least 12 empirical journal articles, and should include detailed information a summary of the current state of research on the disorder, treatment, intervention, and prevention.
Both of the papers will be discussed in length during class in advance of the due date. In addition, we will discuss how to do a lit search, etc. using the the library resources. I know that you will all observe the Wellesley Honor Code.
Finally, you will each do a 15-minute presentation in this class. The goal is to hone your critical thinking and presentation skills. For these presentations, you will choose one of the disorders or risk factors that will be covered in the class. Pick a well-known figure (fictional or public) that represents this disorder, and present his/her case along with a critical analysis of the diagnosis that incorporates at least one outside reading. If you choose to do so, you may work with another person in the class, but your work will be graded accordingly. We will discuss these presentations further in the beginning of the semester.
Student with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who are taking this course and who need disability-related accommodations are encouraged to work with Barbara Boger, the Director of Programs of the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center (if you have learning or attention disabilities) and Jim Wice, the Director of Disability Services (if you have a physical disability) to arrange these accommodations. Their offices are located in the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center in Clapp Library.
Policy on Extensions
Please do not ask me for an extension on any assignment or for postponement of an examination. I will not determine if you deserve an excused extension for an assignment or an exam, but I will accept your personal judgment based on the policy outlined below.
Excused extensions
There are only two contingencies which are acceptable for the excused postponement of assigned work: personal illness or family crisis. If either of these contingencies prevents you from satisfying your assignments, you are entitled to an excused extension. If an excused extension is taken, the following steps must be taken:
1) Prior to the class period at which the work is due (or at which the exam is to be given), you must notify me (ext. 3001) that you will not be present at the exam or that the assignment will not be submitted. This notification must be made before the actual class begins.
2) You must contact me within one day of the missed assignment/exam to make arrangements to complete the work.
3) You must submit to me with your assignment a written statement indicating that you are acting in accord with Wellesley's Honor Code. The statement may be brief and needs only to indicate: 1) that you are requesting an excused extension; 2) that the reason for the extension is consistent with the criteria described above; and 3) that you are acting in accord with Wellesley's honor code. You do not need to specify the reason for the extension, but must specify that your situation meets the above criteria. The statement should be submitted with the late assignment or exam. (I will assume that any late work submitted without a written statement is an unexcused extension.)
Unexcused late work
Any late work/missed exam for which the procedures above are not followed will be considered unexcused late work. Such work will be subject to the following penalties:
Papers/assignments will be accepted up to one week after the due date and will be penalized 5% for each day that passes beyond the due date.
Missed exams must be completed before graded exams are returned to the class. The exam grade will be reduced 5% for each late day beyond the scheduled date of the exam that it is taken.
Grading guidelines:
Each assignment and class participation will be graded on a scale from 1-100. If you attend class regularly, hand in your discussion questions, and are an active participant in class discussions, you will receive 100% for your participation. The assignments will be weighted accordingly:
Class Participation: 20%
Presentation: 10%
Midterm: 15%
Paper #1: 25%
Paper #2: 30%
Grading:
|
A = |
4.0 = |
92.5% + |
|
A- = |
3.67 = |
89.5% - 92.4% |
|
B+ = |
3.33 = |
86.5% - 89.4% |
|
B = |
3.0 = |
82.5% - 86.4% |
|
B- = |
2.67 = |
79.5% - 82.4% |
|
C+ = |
2.33 = |
76.5% - 79.4% |
|
C = |
2.0 = |
72.5% - 76.4% |
|
C- = |
1.67 = |
69.5% - 72.4% |
|
D = |
1.0 = |
59.5% - 69.4% |
|
F = |
0.0 = |
<59.4% |
Required Readings:
The reading load for this course is heavy and you are expected to do all of it. The readings include a textbook on developmental psychopathology, a book on family therapy, and 20 articles and book chapters, most of which are available through the e-reserves section of the course conference. The articles are a mixture of research articles and case studies, and will provide more in-depth coverage at times than the text.
Texts:
Mash, E.J., & Wolfe, D.A. (2004). Abnormal Child Psychology (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishers. (M&W)
Napier, A.Y., & Whitaker, C. (1998). The Family Crucible. Perennial Currents: New York, NY.
Articles (CPK)
1. Sroufe, L.A., Carlson, E.A., Levy, A.K., & Egeland, B. (1999). Implications of attachment theory for developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 11, 1-13. E-reserve
2. Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K.A., Bates, J.E., & Petit, G.S. (1996). Physical discipline among African American and European American mothers: Links to children's externalizing behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 32, 1065-1072. E-reserve
3. Pfiffner, L.J., McBurnett, K., & Lahey, B.B. (1999). Association of parental psychopathology to the cormorbid disorders of boys with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 881-893. E-reserve
4. Warren, S.L., Huston, L., Egeland, B., Sroufe, L.A. (1997). Child and adolescent anxiety disorders and early attachment. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 637-644. E-reserve
5. Warren, C.S., & Messer, S.B. (1999). Brief psychodynamic therapy with anxious children. In S.W. Russ & T.H. Ollendick (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapies with children and families (pp. 219-237). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. E-reserve
6. Sedaris, D. (1997). Plague of tics. In Naked. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. E-reserve
7. Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Girgus, J.S. (1994). The emergence of gender differences in depression in adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 424-443. E-reserve
8. Striegel-Moore, R., & Cacelin, F. M. (1999). Body image concerns and disordered eating in adolescent girls: Risk and protective factors. In N. Johnson & M. Roberts (Eds.), Beyond appearance: A new look at adolescent girls (pp. 85-108). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. E-reserve
9. Terr, L. (1990). Too scared to cry. New York, NY: BasicBooks. Chs. 1-6. Book on reserve in the science library
10. Bromfield, R. (1997). All by myself. In Playing for real: Exploring the world of child therapy and the inner worlds of children. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc. Ch. 5. E-reserve
11. Bromfield, R. (2000). It's the tortoise's race: Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy with a high-functioning autistic adolescent. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 20, 732-745. E-reserve
12. Anonymous. (1994). First person account: Schizophrenia with childhood onset. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 20, 587-590. E-reserve
13. Kilpatrick, D.G., Acierno, R., Saunders, B., Resnick, H.S., Best, C.L., & Schnurr, P.P. (2000). Risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and dependence: Data from a national sample. Journal of Consulting and ClinicalPsychology, 68, 19-30. E-reserve
14. Camarena, P. M., Sarigiani, P. A., & Petersen, A. C. (1997). Adolescence, gender, and the development of mental health. In A. Lieblich & R. Josselson (Eds.), The Narrative Study of Lives (Vol. 5, pp. 182-206). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. E-reserve
15. Clarke-Stewart, K.A., Vandell, D.L., McCartney, K., Owen, M.T., & Booth, C. (2000). Effects of parental separation and divorce on very young children. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 304-326. E-reserve
16. Grych, J.H., Jouriles, E.N., Swank, P.R., McDonald, R., & Norwood, W.D. (2000). Patterns of adjustment among children of battered women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 84-94. E-reserve
17. Ceballo, R., & McLoyd, V. C. (2002). Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods. Child Development, 73, 1310-1321. E-reserve
18. Bromfield, R. (1997). Playing for real: Exploring the world of child therapy and the inner worlds of children. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc. (pp. 1-51). On reserve in the science library
19. Masten, A.S., (2001). Ordinary magic. Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56, 227-238. E-reserve
20. Steiner-Adair, C., Sjostrom, L., Franko, D.L., Pai, S., Tucker, R., Becker, A.E, & Herzog, D.B. (2002). Primary prevention of risk factors for eating disorders in adolescent girls: Learning from practice. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 32, 401-411. E-reserve
Course Outline:
|
Date |
Topic |
Reading assignment |
|
September 8 |
Introduction to Developmental Psychopathology:
|
Ch. 1
|
|
September 15 (2:15 Ð 4 pm) |
Theories of Developmental Psychopathology: Biological, Temperament, Cognitive-Behavioral Understanding diagnosis, classification, and the DSM-IV
|
Ch. 2 (pp. 25-45)
Ch. 4 (pp. 91-97) |
|
September 22 |
Theories of Developmental Psychopathology: Psychodynamic, Attachment, Systems, & Environment Watch Strange Situation Videos
|
Ch. 2 (pp. 45-49), CPK #1, #2
|
|
September 29 |
ADHD
Anxiety & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
|
Ch. 5, CPK #3
Ch. 7 (pp. 180-201; 204-218), CPK #4, 5, 6
|
|
October 3 (SUNDAY 4pm Ð 6:30 pm)
|
ODD/CD/Delinquency Film: The Killer at Thurston High
|
Ch. 6
|
|
October 6 |
Mood Disorders
Eating Disorders Film: Beyond Killing Us Softly
|
Ch. 8, CPK #7
Ch. 13, CPK #8
|
|
October 20 |
ChildrenÕs experiences of trauma
PAPER #1 DUE
|
Ch. 7 (pp. 201-204), CPK #9 |
|
October 27 |
Developmental and Learning Disorders
Autism Watch Behavior Therapy video
Childhood-onset Schizophrenia
|
Ch. 10 (pp. 283-311), CPK #10, 11
Ch. 10 (pp. 311-316), CPK #12
|
|
November 3 |
Drug & Alcohol Abuse
|
CPK #13 |
|
November 10 |
Risk and Protective Factors
Gender; Marital Conflict; Domestic Violence Film: Domestic Violence
Take-Home
Midterm DUE |
CPK #14, 15, 16 |
November 17 |
Sociocultural factors Film: A BoyÕs Life
Community Violence
Assessment & Treatment
|
CPK #17
Ch. 14 |
|
December 1 |
Assessment
Individual Child Therapy
|
Ch. 4
CPK #18 |
|
December 8 |
Couples and Family Therapy
Resilience and Prevention
PAPER #2 DUE |
Family Crucible
CPK #19, 20 |
* This outline is subject to change; revisions of the course
outline will be posted on the course conference
|
Department of Psychology
Wellesley College ________________________________________________
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Guidelines for Requesting Recommendations
The request for a recommendation should be made at least one month prior to the due date. All necessary materials should be delivered to the recommender at this time. Always give the potential recommender the option to decline.
The student should provide the following materials:
á If you are applying to graduate school, please provide a summary sheet indicating the following for each school: name of the institution; name of the department/program to which you are applying; the degree you will be working toward (M.A.; Ph.D.); date the recommendation is due.
Example:
Michigan State University Ð Clinical Psychology Ð Ph.D. due: Jan 1, 2005
Boston College Ð Counseling Psychology Ð M.A. due: Jan 15, 2005
University of Michigan Ð Social Work Ð M.S.W. due: Feb 1, 2005
á If there are forms for the recommendation, please complete the top part of all of the forms.
á If you are applying for a fellowship, internship, etc., please provide:
o a few sentences in your own words describing the program, fellowship, etc. (what sort of intellectual/personal qualities is the program seeking in its applicants?)
o the name/address of the person to whom the letter should be addressed
o the date the recommendation is due
á Copies of personal statements or essays that you plan to include with your application.
á Current transcript (xerox copy is fine)
á Your resumŽ (with important experience/activities highlighted)
á A stamped, addressed envelope for each application. (Recommendations will be mailed in envelopes provided. If envelopes are to be sealed and returned to student, a self-addressed envelope with appropriate postage should be provided.)
á Please answer the questions on the following page and return your answers to me with the materials listed above. (It is fine to write your answers by hand under each question.)
1) Please list the courses that you have taken with me, indicating the semester in which you took each course.
2) What would you like me to know about you as I write this recommendation? (Feel free to include details that we have discussed in prior conversations.)
3) What particular skills, interests, or experience do you hope to highlight in your application?
4) What have you been doing since we last worked together?
5) Are there any weaknesses in your application of which you would like me to be aware? (It often helps for me to know--this does not mean that I'll mention them!)
Checklist
List of graduate programs and deadlines
Copies of applicable forms with top sections completed
Information about fellowship(s) and deadlines
Copies of application statements/essays
Transcript (unofficial copy is fine)
ResumŽ
Stamped, addressed envelope for each application
Answers to questions above