- Conduct disorder, the most common disrup-
tive behavior disorder, is characterized by
aggression to people and animals, destruc-
tion of property, deceitfulness and theft, and
serious violation of rules. - Interventions for conduct disorder include
decreasing violent behavior, increasing
compliance, improving coping skills and
self-esteem, promoting social interaction,
and educating and supporting parents. - Feeding and eating disorders of infancy and
childhood include pica, rumination, and feed-
ing disorders of infancy or early childhood.
Pica and rumination often improve with
time, and most cases of feeding disorders can
be successfully treated. - Tic disorders involve various combinations of
involuntary vocal and/or motor tics.
Tourette’s disorder is most common. Tic dis-
orders are usually treated successfully with
atypical antipsychotic medications. - Elimination disorders cause impairment for
the child based on the response of parents,
the level of self-esteem, and the degree of
ostracism by peers.
For further learning, visit http://connection.lww.com.
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). DSM-IV-TR:
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-
text revision(4th ed.). Washington DC: Author.
Blackman, J. A. (1999). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder in preschoolers: Does it exist and should we
treat it? Pediatric Clinics of North America, 46(5),
1011–1045.
Cotton, N. S. (2000). Normal adolescence. In B. J. Sadock
& V. A. Sadock (Eds.), Comprehensive textbook of psy-
chiatry(7th ed., pp. 2550–2557). Philadelphia: Lip-
pincott Williams & Wilkins.
Crijen, A. A. M., Achenbach, T. M., & Verhulst, F. C.
(1999). Problems reported by parents of children in
multiple cultures: The child behavior checklist syn-
drome constructs. American Journal of Psychiatry,
156 (4), 569–574.
Davis, J. (2002). Risky parents, risky teens. Document
available: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/
3606.2167
Eli Lilly and Company. (2002). News release: Nonstimu-
lant approved for ADHD. Obtained 12/3/02 @
http://my.webmd.com/printing/article/1623.51184
Gross, D., & Grady, J. (2002). Group-based parent train-
ing for preventing mental health disorders in chil-
dren. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 23(4),
367–383.
Johnson, C. J., & Beitchman, J. T. (2000). Communica-
tion disorders. In B. J. Sadock & V. A. Sadock (Eds.),
Comprehensive textbook of psychiatry(7th ed.,
pp. 2634–2650). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.20 CHILD ANDADOLESCENTDISORDERS 507
adaptive functioning such as communica-
tion, self-care, self-direction, academic
achievement, work, and health and safety.
The degree of impairment is directly related
to the IQ.- Learning disorders include categories for
substandard achievement in reading,
mathematics, and written expression. They
are treated through special education in
schools. - Communication disorders may be expressive
or receptive and expressive. They primarily
involve articulation or stuttering and are
treated by speech and language therapists. - Pervasive developmental disorders are
characterized by severe impairment of reci-
procal social interaction skills, communica-
tion deviance, and restricted stereotyped
behavioral patterns. - Children with autism, the best known of the
pervasive developmental disorders, seem
detached with little eye contact and few
facial expressions toward others. They do
not relate to peers or parents, lack sponta-
neous enjoyment, and cannot engage in play
or make-believe with toys. Autism often is
treated with behavioral approaches. Months
or years of treatment may be needed before
positive outcomes appear. - The essential feature of ADHD is a persistent
pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity
and impulsivity. ADHD, the most common
disorder of childhood, results in poor acade-
mic performance, strained family relations,
and rejection by peers. - Interventions for ADHD include a combina-
tion of medication, behavioral interventions,
and parental education. Often special edu-
cational assistance is needed to help with
academic achievement.
Critical Thinking Questions
1.In an effort to protect the fetus from neuro-
logic damage, many states are attempting to
enact legislation providing penalties for preg-
nant women who drink heavily or use drugs.
What is your position on this issue? What, if
anything, should be done? Why do you believe
the way you do?
2.What values or beliefs about child-rearing and
families do you have as a result of your own
experiences growing up? Have these values
and beliefs changed over time? If so, how?