2nd Edition
Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology A Developmental Perspective, Second Edition
Written from a developmental perspective, Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology is organized around five prominent and recurring themes: the course of normal development proceeds in an orderly and predictable direction; maladaptive behaviors represent deviations from the normal path; maladaptive behavior is represented by a continuum of severity (symptoms, syndromes, disorders) based on the degree to which behaviors deviate from the norm; individual, interpersonal, contextual and cultural factors interact in a reciprocal way to influence normal development and abnormal deviations; theoretical input from diverse perspectives can guide our understanding of underlying processes that precipitate and maintain behaviors and the different developmental pathways that might result. The revision will be divided into five sections, all integrating the DSM-5, and will include a new chapter on child maltreatment and self-injurious behavior.
Biography
Linda Wilmshurst, PhD, ABPP, is in Private Practice and teaches graduate students online at Capella University. She has previously taught in graduate programs and practiced internationally. Linda is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology, and is a licensed clinical and school psychologist in Florida.
The 2009 edition of Abnormal Child Psychology is well-organized and thorough. Dr. Wilmshurst’s proposal for revising the text focuses on updating the previously included content, while re-organizing some of the latter sections (expanding from 2 to 5 sections) to better fit with the new DSM-5. It is important, as Dr. Wilmshurst suggests, to maintain the five recurrent themes woven throughout the text, as well as use of the K-3 paradigm. This is a core text and I would adopt it if the proposed changes were incorporated in the revised text. Dr. Kerri Kim, Brown University.
The current edition matches my course very well. I like the way the book is organized and am hopeful that the organization will be retained in the updated version. This is a core text for advanced undergraduate and first year graduate courses. Professor Jessica Hoffman, New England University.
The two strongest features in my view are the 5 recurrent themes mentioned early in the text and the coverage of the coverage of the clinical diagnostic categories from a developmental perspective. I will probably adopt the second edition of this text. Ronald Kendrick EdD. Campbell University
