QUESTION#5: Topic: Atypical Development in Infancy/Toddlerhood, Childhood, and Adolescence

The focus in this course thus far has been on typical development in infants/toddlers, children, and adolescents. However, many children and adolescents can face challenges in their development. The focus of this Discussion is on atypical development in children, with a focus on some of the childhood and adolescent disorders described in the DSM-5.

Please respond to the following:

How would you define the terms typical development and atypical development? Thinking about the developmental theories you have discussed in this class, which theory do you believe best applies to describing atypical development? Why?

Choose one childhood or adolescent disorder from the Childhood Disorders reading, and discuss this disorder by addressing the following questions:

• Identify the disorder and describe the main characteristics of this disorder, including the causes and symptoms.

• What is the most effective treatment(s) for this disorder?

• How can culture affect the disorder and/or the treatment of the disorder?