Developmental Psychopathology

 

Semester & Location:	Spring 2025 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Core Course - 3 credits
Study Tours:	Lund - Copenhagen Madrid
Major Disciplines:	Psychology, Neuroscience, Pre-Health/Medicine
Prerequisite(s):	One course in psychology at university level.
Faculty Members:	Monica Siqueiros Sanchez, PhD  (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Contact:	Department email address psy.cns@dis.dk
Time & Place:	Time: Mondays & Thursdays 14.50-16.10 Classroom: C502

 

Course Description

What is the nature of psychological disorders that develop during childhood and adolescence, and how are these experienced by young people in Scandinavia? In this course, we move on from typical development and aim to better understand the etiology, underlying mechanisms and behavioral manifestations of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. We do so within a sociocultural context as much as possible. For example, how do parental leave policies and parental stress impact prenatal and infant development? How does a modern welfare state address early detection and early intervention for developmental disorders, and how are the needs of youth with developmental disorders met (or not met) in the Swedish educational system? We will also review contemporary issues and controversies in the field, such as the discourse around neurodiversity/neurotypicality vs. a strictly medical model of illness and treatment.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course students will be able to demonstrate the following:

1. An understanding of the major categories of developmental psychopathology, including issues of classification, defining features, and comorbid conditions.
2. An understanding of the complex etiological and maintenance factors implicated in developmental psychopathology, particularly neurodevelopmental disorders.
3. A basic understanding of common research methods within psychology, with an emphasis on those compatible with diverse populations.
4. Familiarity with evidence-based methods for prevention and interventions in developmental psychopathology, including locally developed innitiatives.
5. An in-depth understanding about one particular area of research within developmental psychopathology.
6. The ability to summarize, integrate, critically evaluate, and communicate research relevant to developmental psychopathology.

Faculty

Monica Siqueiros-Sanchez, PhD. Monica obtained her PhD in Medical Science, from Karolinska Institutet (KI; Sweden). A clinical psychologist by training, she became interested in neurodevelopmental disorders during her clinical practice. She then went on to do her MSc in Developmental Psychopathology at Durham University, followed by her PhD at KI where she combined eye tracking and twin modelling to investigate the relative contribution of genes and environment to autistic and ADHD traits, oculomotor behavior, and the association between them. She recently completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University where she used a combination of neuroimaging modalities and psychological assessments to characterize the effects of rare genetic variation on brain morphology to better understand psychiatric disorders.  Her interests include socio-communicative skills, attention, neurogenetic syndromes, neurodevelopmental disorders, and white matter. With DIS since 2023.

Readings

Required Textbooks (provided to students by the DIS Library: please check it out from Book Pickup during Arrivals Week):

• Venta, A., Sharp, C., Fletcher, J.M., & Fonagy, P. (2021). Developmental psychopathology. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Required Articles (please note that these may be revised and updated - you should check the calendar for the updated list of journal articles).

Barakat, S., McLean, S. A., Bryant, E., Le, A., Marks, P., Touyz, S., & Maguire, S. (2023). Risk factors for eating disorders: findings from a rapid review. Journal of eating disorders, 11(1), 8.

Barkley, R. A. (1997). Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychological bulletin, 121(1), 65.

Boman, C., & Bernhardsson, S. (2023). Exploring needs, barriers, and facilitators for promoting physical activity for children with intellectual developmental disorders: A qualitative focus group study. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 27(1), 5-23.

Bryant, E. (2021) Anorexia - the great taboo - The Lancet Essay - Patient perspective

Bölte, S., Leifler, E., Berggren, S., & Borg, A. (2021). Inclusive practice for students with neurodevelopmental disorders in Sweden. Scandinavian journal of child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology, 9(1), 9-15.

Bölte, S. (2023). A more holistic approach to autism using the International Classification of Functioning: The why, what, and how of functioning. Autism, 27(1), 3-6.

Bölte, S., Lawson, W. B., Marschik, P. B., & Girdler, S. (2021). Reconciling the seemingly irreconcilable: The WHO's ICF system integrates biological and psychosocial environmental determinants of autism and ADHD: The International Classification of Functioning (ICF) allows to model opposed biomedical and neurodiverse views of autism and ADHD within one framework. BioEssays, 43(9), 2000254.

Carroll, P., Hirvikoski, T., Lindholm, C. & Thorell, L. B. (2023) Group-based emotion regulation skills training for adults with ADHD: A feasibility study in an outpatient psychiatric setting, Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, 30:1, 71-82, DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2021.1910512 

Christopher, K., & Lord, C. (2022). Best practice assessments for autism spectrum disorders in schools. Psychology in the Schools, 59(7), 1454-1468. 

Curran, H. V., Freeman, T. P., Mokrysz, C., Lewis, D. A., Morgan, C. J., & Parsons, L. H. (2016). Keep off the grass? Cannabis, cognition and addiction. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 17(5), 293-306. 

Elsabbagh, M., Mercure, E., Hudry, K., Chandler, S., Pasco, G., Charman, T., ... & Johnson, M. H. (2012). Infant neural sensitivity to dynamic eye gaze is associated with later emerging autism. Current biology, 22(4), 338-342.

Eyring, K. W., & Geschwind, D. H. (2021). Three decades of ASD genetics: building a foundation for neurobiological understanding and treatment. Human Molecular Genetics, 30(20), R236-R244.

Falck-Ytter, T., Kleberg, J. L., Portugal, A. M., & Thorup, E. (2023). Social attention: Developmental foundations and relevance for autism spectrum disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 94(1), 8-17.  

Faraone, S. V., Rostain, A. L., Blader, J., Busch, B., Childress, A. C., Connor, D. F., & Newcorn, J. H. (2019). Practitioner Review: Emotional dysregulation in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder–implications for clinical recognition and intervention. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(2), 133-150. 

Frick, P. J. & Thompson, L. C. (2017) Ch. 23 - A Brief History of the Diagnostic Classification of Childhood Externalizing Disorders. In L. C. Centifanti & D. M. Williams. The Wiley Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology (1st Ed., p. 257-). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gaule, A., et al. (2024), Reduced prosocial motivation and effort in adolescents with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 65: 1061-1071.pdf

Ghirardi, L., Pettersson, E., Taylor, M. J., Freitag, C. M., Franke, B., Asherson, P., … Kuja-Halkola, R. (2019). Genetic and environmental contribution to the overlap between ADHD and ASD trait dimensions in young adults: a twin study. Psychological Medicine, 49(10), 1713–1721. doi:10.1017/S003329171800243X

Green, T., Naylor, P.E. & Davies, W. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in phenotypically similar neurogenetic conditions: Turner syndrome and the RASopathies. J Neurodevelop Disord 9, 25 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-017-9205-x

Green, T., Shrestha, S. B., Chromik, L. C., Rutledge, K., Pennington, B. F., Hong, D. S., & Reiss, A. L. (2015). Elucidating X chromosome influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and executive function. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 68, 217-225.

Guo, H., Feng, B., Ma, Y., Zhang, X., Fan, H., Dong, Z., ... & Gong, Q. (2023). Analysis of the screening and predicting characteristics of the house-tree-person drawing test for mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1041770.  

Hardan, A. Y., Gengoux, G. W., Berquist, K. L., Libove, R. A., Ardel, C. M., Phillips, J., ... & Minjarez, M. B. (2015). A randomized controlled trial of Pivotal Response Treatment Group for parents of children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(8), 884-892. 

Happé, F., Ronald, A., & Plomin, R. (2006). Time to give up on a single explanation for autism. Nature neuroscience, 9(10), 1218-1220.

Hojnoski, R. L., Morrison, R., Brown, M., & Matthews, W. J. (2006). Projective test use among school psychologists: A survey and critique. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 24(2), 145-159. 

Hughes, J. A. (2021). Does the heterogeneity of autism undermine the neurodiversity paradigm?. Bioethics, 35(1), 47-60.

Idring, S., Lundberg, M., Sturm, H., Dalman, C., Gumpert, C., Rai, D., ... & Magnusson, C. (2015). Changes in prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in 2001–2011: findings from the Stockholm youth cohort. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 1766-1773.

Jansen, P. W., Duijff, S. N., Beemer, F. A., Vorstman, J. A. S., Klaassen, P. W. J., Morcus, M. E. J., & Heineman‐de Boer, J. A. (2007). Behavioral problems in relation to intelligence in children with 22q11. 2 deletion syndrome: a matched control study. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 143(6), 574-580.

Karlstad, J., Moe, C. F., Wattum, M., & Brinchmann, B. S. (2021). The experiences and strategies of parents of adults with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa: a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 1-11.

Kemper, A. R., Letostak, T. B., Hostutler, C. A., Stephenson, K. G., & Butter, E. M. (2021). Screening for anxiety in pediatric primary care: a systematic review. Pediatrics, 148(4). 

Krasse, B. (2001). The Vipeholm Dental Caries Study: recollections and reflections 50 years later. Journal of dental research, 80(9), 1785-1788. 

Lamb, M. E., Hwang, C. P., Frodi, A. M., & Frodi, M. (1982). Security of mother-and father-infant attachment and its relation to sociability with strangers in traditional and nontraditional Swedish families. Infant behavior and development, 5(2-4), 355-367.

Lau & Waters (2017) An expanded account of information-processing mechanisms in risk for child and adolescent anxiety and depression (REVIEW). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 58:4 (2017), pp. 387–407

Lee, E. A. L., Black, M. H., Falkmer, M., Tan, T., Sheehy, L., Bölte, S., & Girdler, S. (2020). “We can see a bright future”: Parents’ perceptions of the outcomes of participating in a strengths-based program for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 50, 3179-3194.

Li, R., Bruno, J.L., Lee, C.H. et al. Aberrant brain network and eye gaze patterns during natural social interaction predict multi-domain social-cognitive behaviors in girls with fragile X syndrome. Mol Psychiatry 27, 3768–3776 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01626-3.

Lord C, Brugha TS, Charman T, Cusack J, Dumas G, Frazier T, et al. Autism spectrum disorder. Nat Rev Dis Primer. 2020;6(1):1–23.

Linnsand, P., Gillberg, C., Nilses, Å., Hagberg, B., & Nygren, G. (2021). A high prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in preschool children in an immigrant, multiethnic population in Sweden: challenges for health care. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 538-549.

MacKinnon, N., Kingsbury, M., Mahedy, L., Evans, J., & Colman, I. (2018). The association between prenatal stress and externalizing symptoms in childhood: Evidence from the avon longitudinal study of parents and children. Biological psychiatry, 83(2), 100-108.

Morales-Hidalgo, P., Voltas-Moreso, N., Hernández-Martínez, C., & Canals-Sans, J. (2023). Emotional problems in preschool and school-aged children with neurodevelopmental disorders in Spain: EPINED epidemiological project. Research in developmental disabilities, 135, 104454. 

Nelson, C.A., Sullivan, E. and Engelstad, A.M. (2024). Annual Research Review: Early intervention viewed through the lens of developmental neuroscience. J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 65: 435-455.

Nigg, J. T., Sibley, M. H., Thapar, A., & Karalunas, S. L. (2020). Development of ADHD: Etiology, heterogeneity, and early life course. Annual review of developmental psychology, 2(1), 559-583; Nigg, J. T. (2013). Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and adverse health outcomes. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(2), 215-228. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/jcpr.2012.11.005

Nobakht, H. N., Steinsbekk, S., & Wichstrøm, L. (2024). Reciprocal relations between interparental aggression and symptoms of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders: A seven‐wave cohort study of within‐family effects from preschool to adolescence. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 65(6), 753-763.

Nygren, G., Hagberg, B., Billstedt, E., Skoglund, Å., Gillberg, C., & Johansson, M. (2009). The Swedish version of the diagnostic interview for social and communication disorders (DISCO-10). Psychometric properties. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 730-741.

Nygren, G., Cederlund, M., Sandberg, E., Gillstedt, F., Arvidsson, T., Carina Gillberg, I., ... & Gillberg, C. (2012). The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in toddlers: a population study of 2-year-old Swedish children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 1491-1497.

Nyström, P., Thorup, E., Bölte, S., & Falck-Ytter, T. (2019). Joint attention in infancy and the emergence of autism. Biological psychiatry, 86(8), 631-638.

Pellicano, E., & den Houting, J. (2022). Annual Research Review: Shifting from ‘normal science’to neurodiversity in autism science. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 63(4), 381-396.

Rodrigues Pereira et al. (2021) Diagnosing selective mutism: a critical review of measures for clinical practice and research. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 32:1821–1839.pdf

Rosen, N. E., Lord, C., & Volkmar, F. R. (2021). The diagnosis of autism: From Kanner to DSM-III to DSM-5 and beyond. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 51, 4253-4270.

Schaefer, J. D., et al. (2021). Associations between adolescent cannabis use and young-adult functioning in three longitudinal twin studies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(14), e2013180118

Sonuga-Barke, E.J.S., Becker, S.P., Bölte, S., Castellanos, F.X., Franke, B., Newcorn, J.H., Nigg, J.T., Rohde, L.A. and Simonoff, E. (2023), Annual Research Review: Perspectives on progress in ADHD science – from characterization to cause. J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 64: 506-532. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13696

Singh, M.K., Gorelik, A.J., Stave, C. et al. Genetics, epigenetics, and neurobiology of childhood-onset depression: an umbrella review. Mol Psychiatry (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02347-x

van den Berg, G. J., & Siflinger, B. M. (2022). The effects of a daycare reform on health in childhood–Evidence from Sweden. Journal of Health Economics, 81, 102577.

Watts, T. W., Duncan, G. J., & Quan, H. (2018). Revisiting the marshmallow test: A conceptual replication investigating links between early delay of gratification and later outcomes. Psychological science, 29(7), 1159-1177.

Viktorsson, C., Bölte, S. & Falck-Ytter, T. How 18-month-olds with Later Autism Look at Other Children Interacting: The Timing of Gaze Allocation. J Autism Dev Disord (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06118-z

Videos

• Video lecture "The Challenge of Diagnosing Pediatric Bipolar Disorder" by Prof. Boris Birmaher
• How to Support Young People with Eating Disorders - Kim Sheffield, Lic. Clinical Psychologist - short video

Field Studies

Field studies serve to complement your course work by placing you in the professional field to extend and rethink what we read about, discuss in class, and encounter in practicum. Please be ready for each field study by completing all readings and preparing questions in advance.

Field Study 1 - Visit and walking tour of Karolinska Institutet

Field Study 2 - Visit to OCD clinic 

For this field study we will be visiting the OCD clinic at Karolinska Institutet. As part of the visit, we will have a guest lecture on Obssessive Compulsive Disorder led by Dr. Lorena Fernandez de la Cruz.

Guest Lecturers

• Dr. Lorena Fernandez de la Cruz is an Associate Professor (Docent) at the “Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders across the lifespan” group at KI, where she leads the “Health consequences and lifestyle modification" team. Her research interests also include the development and dissemination of evidence-based treatments for OCD-related conditions (including body dysmorphic disorder and hoarding disorder) and tic disorders.

Expectations of the Students

As this is a predominantly discussion-based seminar, the success of the course depends on your serious commitment to truly engage with the material. To that end, I expect you to spend at least 6 hours every week outside of class preparing for this class. You must come to class prepared, having closely read and evaluated the reading assignments, and your class discussions should reflect this careful reading. While taking notes on the reading assignments, try to identify which portions of the assignments were particularly notable/important and why they caught your attention. Include summaries in your own words, write questions to yourself, agree/disagree with the content, and generally try to delve yourself deeply into a thoughtful evaluation of the reading assignments.

You are expected to behave professionally and participate actively during class and field studies. This includes all of the following:

• Attend all class meetings, field studies, and related activities.
• Be punctual and stay for the entire experience.
• Contribute to shared learning: ask relevant questions, offer critical reflections, and respond respectfully to others’ comments.
• Put your phone away and turn off notifications on any other electronic devices.
• Turn in all the assignments.
• Contribute to online discussion boards posted on Canvas.

Grading

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.

You will be evaluated based on your performance on the course assignments as outlined below. Additional details will be provided in class.

Assignment	Percent
Attendance	5%
Class participation and engagement (including study tour assignments)	20%
Student presentations	10%
Discussion cases (In class): Critical questions and observations	10%
Debates & Journal Clubs	10%
Psychology in social media - What is wrong with this tiktok?	20%
Final research project	25%

Course Policies 

Attendance: You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled.  If you miss a class for any reason, please contact the faculty no later than the day of the missed class. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well.  Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS.  Allowances will be made in cases of illness or religious holidays, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note. 

Academic Honesty, Plagiarism, and Violating the Rules of an Assignment: DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.  Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software.

On the use of AI tools in an Assignment: Intellectual honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work. All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with DIS policy which can be found in the Academic Handbook. You may not engage in unauthorized collaboration or make use of ChatGPT or other AI composition software. The use of AI tools like ChatGPT for answering discussion and opinion questions is also not allowed and considered academic dishonesty. While good at writing ChatGPT is not always accurate, can make up sources, and, unlike you, lacks critical thinking. Trust your voice. I rather read a paper that is not a literary masterpiece but where I can read your voice and you demonstrate critical thinking and engagement with the literature, than a paper which is a collection of beautifully crafted definitions but devoid of any true content or empirical backing that results in me wondering who wrote it.

Reading assignments: Students are expected to read the assigned articles and book chapters prior to class. Assigned readings will be posted on the Canvas Calendar class events. Please use that as your guide for the assigned articles each week. Each student should come to class prepared to discuss the readings. 

In class assignments: Students are expected to attend all lectures, of which some will include in-class assignments. In class-assignments are open only during the duration of the class plus some tolerance period. If you are unable to attend class you are expected to inform faculty (see attendance) and submit the assignment. In case of illness see Extensions section.

Policy on Late Papers: Late essays will be accepted for up to 3 days after the deadline, but for each day late, excluding the weekends, a 5% penalty will be applied. 

Extensions: You may request an extension for an assignment, but you must ask more than 1 day before the assignment is due. Extension requests on the due date, without an excusable reason, will not be considered.

Policy for Students Who Arrive Late to Class: Please come to classes on time as it is disturbing for the lecturer and other students. Repeated lateness will result in a referral to the head of the Teaching and Learning department.

Use of Laptops, Phones, and Headphones in Class: Computers and iPads are allowed in class PURELY for academic purposes (e.g. note taking, literature searching, data handling purposes). In case of other private uses such as Facebook, Contexto, iMessage, airline websites, online shopping, or internet surfing, it will have a very negative impact on your participation grade. You may lose up to 50% of your participation grade if these laptop uses are a regular occurence. The use of cell phones and headphones during class is strictly forbidden.

 

Academic Accommodations

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupport@disstockholm.se

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

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