Leader: Professor A Vance

Offered

Clayton First semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

A developmental perspective on the evolution of human behaviour through the lifecycle. Developmental issues such as continuities and discontinuities between childhood and adulthood in health and psychopathology; the extent to which normality merges with pathology; facilitating and inhibiting factors influencing transitions between developmental phases; age-appropriate, accelerated and delayed development; the effect of individual differences on developmental processes; and the clinical applications of these principles to psychiatric conditions in childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

Objectives

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. describe key developmental life stages through childhood and adolescence;
2. to describe key developmental psychological, social and biological factors involved in normal and abnormal development through childhood and adolescence;
3. to describe key developmental psychological, social and biological factors involved in the onset, progression, natural history and treatment options in specific common child and adolescent psychiatric disorders;
4. to describe key continuities and discontinuities between adult and child and adolescent psychiatric practice;
5. to outline and discuss the developmental context within which the bio-psycho-social approach is used for the assessment and treatment of child and adolescent psychiatry disorders;
6. to describe the influences of chronic illness, impairment, disability and handicap on development at an individual, interpersonal, family and social level.

Assessment

Written examination (100%)

Contact hours

Second Year