Developmental Psychopathology Term Paper
Ragy Rezkallah
Student ID: 10083455
University of Calgary
Psyc 459
Dr. Charmaine Thomas
1. One of the most thrilling and exciting feelings in life is learning that you will soon become parents to a beautiful child. For some couples, this feeling is accompanied with worrisome and anxiety, especially if you have just learned that the child will be born with a developmental disability. Although parents are looking forward to raising this child, at the same time they have a swift of emotions, questions and concerns about the upbringing of a child with a developmental disability.
As a clinician, I am faced with a situation in which a couple would like some advice and special consideration …show more content…
Many clinicians and psychologists have compiled treatment and intervention ideas to aid children with disabilities. The word treatment should not be confused in the sense of trying to ‘fix’ a problem, but in fact it is merely a way to build on a child’s existing strengths/resources. It is a way to integrate strategies that consider children’s needs within the context of their individual development, their family, institutional setting, and their community. The first type of treatment as suggested by Wolfe, is called the psychosocial treatment. I would suggest the couple to focus strongly on the preschool years of their child, since this is the optimal timing for learning. This type of treatment is considered the most promising methods for enhancing the intellectual and social skills of young children with developmental disabilities. Further, the couple can invest in enriched environments from early infancy through preschool years. The second set of treatment is called behavioral treatment, in which training is tailored to each child and may include shaping, modeling, and graduated guidance. For instance, a child may need to be fully dependent at first, but as a teacher/parent you can gradually progress them to be more independent on tasks. Also, this type of therapy includes social skills training needed to promote interpersonal skills and integration into the community. Next, there is the cognitive-behavioral therapy that revolves around the self-instructional training and metacognitive training. Emphasis is given on verbal instructional techniques. The parents need to teach the child to be strategical and meta-strategical. Lastly, I would suggest to the couple about family-oriented strategies to cope with their child with Down syndrome. Some children benefit from residential care or out-of-home placement. Hence, this could be an option for the family to look into. In
Ragy Rezkallah
Student ID: 10083455
University of Calgary
Psyc 459
Dr. Charmaine Thomas
1. One of the most thrilling and exciting feelings in life is learning that you will soon become parents to a beautiful child. For some couples, this feeling is accompanied with worrisome and anxiety, especially if you have just learned that the child will be born with a developmental disability. Although parents are looking forward to raising this child, at the same time they have a swift of emotions, questions and concerns about the upbringing of a child with a developmental disability.
As a clinician, I am faced with a situation in which a couple would like some advice and special consideration …show more content…
Many clinicians and psychologists have compiled treatment and intervention ideas to aid children with disabilities. The word treatment should not be confused in the sense of trying to ‘fix’ a problem, but in fact it is merely a way to build on a child’s existing strengths/resources. It is a way to integrate strategies that consider children’s needs within the context of their individual development, their family, institutional setting, and their community. The first type of treatment as suggested by Wolfe, is called the psychosocial treatment. I would suggest the couple to focus strongly on the preschool years of their child, since this is the optimal timing for learning. This type of treatment is considered the most promising methods for enhancing the intellectual and social skills of young children with developmental disabilities. Further, the couple can invest in enriched environments from early infancy through preschool years. The second set of treatment is called behavioral treatment, in which training is tailored to each child and may include shaping, modeling, and graduated guidance. For instance, a child may need to be fully dependent at first, but as a teacher/parent you can gradually progress them to be more independent on tasks. Also, this type of therapy includes social skills training needed to promote interpersonal skills and integration into the community. Next, there is the cognitive-behavioral therapy that revolves around the self-instructional training and metacognitive training. Emphasis is given on verbal instructional techniques. The parents need to teach the child to be strategical and meta-strategical. Lastly, I would suggest to the couple about family-oriented strategies to cope with their child with Down syndrome. Some children benefit from residential care or out-of-home placement. Hence, this could be an option for the family to look into. In