Childhood Disorders and Treatments
AS 200.162.87 (S)
Instructor: Ann Jarema
Term I & II May 23 – July 29, 2016
Location: Online
Required Textbook:
Mash, E.J. and Wolfe, D.A. (2013) Abnormal Child Psychology 5th ed.). Australia: Thomson Wadsworth.
Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard.
Course Description: This course will be conducted online. The course will follow the deadlines for add/drop/withdraw and grade changes for Term I. Students will be responsible for assigned readings and checking in on Blackboard several times a week to go over course material and participate in online discussion as well as to ask any questions that they may have. This course examines the psychological disorders that are usually diagnosed prior to adulthood. Some of the specific disorders that will be discussed are Attention-Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Learning Disorders, and Mental Retardation. Students will become familiar with various diagnoses, etiologies, and methods of treatment.
Goal Statement: The goal of this course is for students to gain an understanding of the unique features of diagnosing and treating the psychological disorders that are typically recognized in childhood. After this course students should be able to accurately recognize psychological disorders based on case studies and have an idea of different treatment options.
General Format of the Class: Each week will begin on Monday at 12:01 AM and end on Sunday at midnight eastern standard time (EST). There will be a new discussion board for each week. At the beginning of the week you should read the instructor’s comments about the material that will be covered during the week. You should also read the assigned readings in time to post your first response to the discussion topics before Thursday at midnight.
Grading
There are a total of 300 possible points to be earned in this class. Final grades will be determined by the overall percentage. The points are broken down in this way:
Participation in Discussions 50 points
Article Presentation and Discussion 50 points
Participation in Presentation Discussions 25 points
Research Proposal 25 points
Case Analysis 1 25 points
Case Analysis 2 25 points
Midterm Exam 50 points
Final Exam 50 points
Participation in Discussions: Each week a discussion topic will be presented by the instructor. Students are responsible for posting at least two times per week. Your first post should be in response to the original discussion topic/question and should be posted by Thursday at midnight. Your second post should be in response to one of your classmates’ posts and should be posted by the end of the week (Sunday at midnight).
Assignments: Detailed guidelines will be provided for each assignment. All assignments are due by midnight on the Sunday of the week they are due. Any assignment submitted after this time will be considered late.
Article Summary and Discussion: Specific guidelines for this assignment are provided in the “Assignments” Folder. Students are responsible for providing a resource and leading the class in a discussion of that resource during the week. The grade on this assignment will be based on both the discussion write-up that the student submits and their moderation of the discussion.
Participation in Article Discussion: Student-led discussions will take place during weeks 4 to 10. Each week students must participate in one of the discussions led by a classmate. You should read the material that other students provide and respond to one of the discussion questions by midnight on Thursday.
Exams: Both the midterm and the final exam will be timed exams online. All questions will be multiple choice. The final exam will contain some information studied during the first half of the class, but it will focus primarily on the information from the second half of class.
Make-up/Late Work Policy: Late work will not be accepted; students participate in weekly online discussions and submit assignments and exams before the deadlines.
Academic Ethics: From the JHU Ethics Policy Statement: "The strength of the university depends on academic and personal integrity. In this course, you must be honest and truthful. Ethical violations include cheating on exams, plagiarism, reuse of assignments, improper use of the Internet and electronic devices, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of graded assignments, forgery and falsification, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, and unfair competition. Violations can lead to failure of an examination, failure of the course, a notation on the student's transcript, and/or other actions. Report any violations you witness to the instructor. You may consult the associate dean of students and/or the chairman of the Ethics Board beforehand. Please consult the Academic Ethics for Undergraduates guide and the Ethics Board website for more information."
Course Schedule
Week Topics Reading
Week 1 Introduction to course, review syllabus
Tu 5/23 – Su 5/29 Understanding Abnormal Child Psychology Chapter 1
Week 2 Theories and Research Chapter 2, 3
M 5/30 – Su 6/5
Week 3 Assessment, Diagnosis, Treatment Chapter 4
M 6/6 – Su 6/12 Research Proposal Assignment Due
Week 4 Behavioral Disorders: ADHD Chapter 5
M 6/13 – Su 6/19
Week 5 Conduct Problems Chapter 6
M 6/20 – Su 6/26 Midterm Exam
Week 6 Emotional Disorders Chapter 7, 8
M 6/27 – Su 7/3 Case Study 1 Due
Week 7 Developmental Disorders: Autism & Schizophrenia Chapter 10
M 7/4 – Su 7/10
Week 8 Developmental Disorders: ID & LD Chapter 9, 11
M 7/11 – Su 7/17 Case Study 2 Due
Week 9 Health-Related & Substance Use Disorders Chapter 12
M 7/18 – Su 7/24 Eating Disorders and Related Conditions Chapter 13
Week 10 Child Maltreatment & Non-Accidental Trauma Chapter 14
M 7/25 – F 7/29 Final Exam