What I Have Learned from Child Abnormal Psychology Class

     The first specific issue that we have covered in class that impresses me is gaining information about the child’s age and how long the symptoms have lasted. This is the basic and initial step to do when we approach a young patient. Before attending the class, I always misperceived that it was important to focus on the symptoms first because it might be the shortest way to diagnosis and intervention. However, after the first few lectures, I acknowledge that it is not always necessary to make a diagnosis for a child’s problems.

     Besides creating a stigma for him or her, we might limit the interventions. Moreover, we might miss some other symptoms that are outside of our diagnosed category. To make a proper intervention for a child, we should focus on the specific symptoms and find a way to make it better. I feel grateful for learning this lesson right at the beginning of the course. Moreover, I appreciate the fact that professor Barry keeps reminding us of it, which makes me remember it better. If I accidentally miss this piece of information, I will trap myself in great confusion when I study counseling psychology in depth. 

     Age is an essential factor since we can acknowledge if the patient is in the onset age of a disorder. Moreover, this information will help us know if the described behaviors are normal at the patient’s age. For example, chewing largely non-nutritive items might be normal for toddlers who haven’t learned much about categorizing food. However, if a teen persistently picks paper as his enjoyable snack then it’s time for serious consideration.

     Asking “how long” is undeniably important. Each disorder will be officially diagnosed after a certain time. For instance, a ten-year-old child is more likely to have pica if she keeps eating non-edible items for over a month. Also, a child before age 18 might be diagnosed with Tic disorder or Tourette syndrome if he has sudden, involuntary motor movements and vocal utterances for at least a year.

     My favorite aspect we have learned in class is reinforcement. Since the beginning of the class, I have had an interest in reinforcing and how it shapes our behaviors or helps rehabilitation. I believe in the influence of reinforcement on humans’ mind.

     In the past, I used to think that it might be a myth to apply reinforcement to anyone with moderate psychopathological symptoms or disorders. When we learned about youngsters with intense substance use, I suggested reinforcement as an intervention. At that time, I thought my idea wasn’t persuasive because the patient in the given case was a teen. However, professor Barry made me gain more confidence in this idea. He said that we shouldn’t deny the influence of reinforcement on people from different walks of life. Moreover, it is also a motivation used by parents and other significant ones as a protective factor to improve one’s behavior or thinking. Since then, I have always considered reinforcement in every disorder or symptom’s intervention. One day, when I have children, I will apply reinforcement to help them shape their healthy behaviors. It will be much better than stressful punishments.

     Last but not least, the final issue which is impressive to me is the compromise between children and parents. Hence, the bond between parents and children strengthens the mental health of both children and parents, which also helps them understand each other more. During the lesson about conduct problems, students were given the situation that a child crying in the middle of the mall to get what he wanted. Professor Barry presented us with a surprisingly simple way to deal with it. He suggested that parents should talk to their children before coming to the mall, which means making a friendly, positive compromise. He said that if the child still showed negative expression during the shopping anyway, we can remind the child of the compromise so he or she can recall the punishments or rewards they could receive from his or her behaviors.

     This suggestion is wonderful since I grew up in an Asian country where people favor physical or verbal punishments. I don’t want to hurt my child. Moreover, I hope he or she will respect me. To achieve these goals, I need to respect him or her first. Hopefully, with what I have learned in this class, I can help my child gain balanced mental health.   

Eurus Thach.