Course Syllabus

🧠 Description of Course

This is a course about child development gone awry, whose aim is to introduce students to different developmental disorders. The biopsychosocial model to maladaptive behaviors, cognitions, and emotions will be presented as a theoretical framework for understanding normal and abnormal development.  The multilayered and hierarchical contexts of the child’s life are influential aspects of mental health during development and will be considered. Some major developmental disorders are selectively illustrated through theory and case material, and you are encouraged to think critically about diagnostic issues as well as various factors that have implications for developmental trajectories both in relation to research, prevention, and treatment.

The focus of the course will be the developmental psychopathology framework as a means to understanding disorders in childhood and youth. The biopsychosocial model as a scientific approach has ensured that disorders of childhood and adolescence receive appropriate and specialized attention in order to attempt early prevention and treatment.

The conceptualization of diagnoses and how to utilize and apply DSM-V to children and adolescents who exhibit symptoms of selected disorders will be accomplished primarily through short lectures, case study and in class group work. Beyond diagnostics, this course will examine current scientific research trends to explore maladaptive cognition, behaviour, emotions and treatments associated with each disorder.

 

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this course students will be familiar with the theoretical foundations of developmental psychopathology in children and adolescents. Students will be able to distinguish developmental disorders from one another and to describe the multiple pathways to each, and its possible treatment, as well as refer to research in the area.

 

😊 Faculty

Hi! I’m Anna Frost, and I’m so excited to explore the field of Developmental Disorders with you. I am deeply passionate about understanding child development and what it truly takes to foster resilience, secure attachment, and overall well-being in children and young people. By identifying challenges early on, we can provide the right support at the right time.

Before joining DIS, I worked as a HR consultant, facilitating workshops on personality profiling, unconscious bias, and cultural transformation, while developing initiatives to enhance inclusion and well-being. Furthermore, I have experience working with children and youth as a Clinical metacognitive Psychologist, spanning individual and group therapy, supervision, and research. The metacognitive method represents a significant paradigm shift in the field—and I can’t wait to show you why. And I’m truly looking forward to meeting you and exploring all your unique perspectives on Developmental Disorders.

 

📖 Readings

Required Textbook (Provided to students by DIS Library):

• Wilmshurst, L. (2015). Child and adolescent psychopathology: A casebook (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

The textbook is updated for DSM-5 and provides 24 real-life cases. Students will also be introduced to peer-reviewed articles when relevant. These will be available on Canvas. You will see the homework for each day on Canvas. 

 

👩‍🏫 My approach to Teaching

As a teacher, I thrive on creating an interactive learning environment where exercises and field trips play a central role. In this course, the city is our classroom, and I strive to create a space where it feels safe to ask questions and share ideas. You can always ask me additional questions before and after class or via e-mail, which I ‘ll do my best to answer within 24 hours.

 

🧑🏽‍🎓 Expectations of the students

As a student, you are expected to read the articles and other material given to you before every class. I also expect active engagement in class through presence, curiosity, and constructive participation in discussions.

Please be punctual for class and field studies. Show respect for and attempt to understand other people’s viewpoints and experiences, whether this be other students or guest lecturers and people encountered on field studies.

Late papers: Late submissions will incur a 10% penalty for each day they are late (maximum 3 days)

 

✍️ Evaluation

The evaluation of the course is an ongoing process.

 

⭐ Grading:

Attendance and Participation (25%)

Attendance is mandatory. If you must miss a class: Please inform me as soon as possible (latest on the day of the absence). It is your responsibility to find out what you have missed, so be sure to get the notes and any information from a classmate as soon as possible.

Active participation, questions and discussion are important and expected during class as well as during Field Studies. Please arrive several minutes before class begins. It is distracting when students arrive late, you lose important information by missing the opening minutes, and it is especially inappropriate if we have guest speakers. Please plan ahead so that you leave plenty of time to get to class on time. Several tardies will affect your participation and attendance grade. Late papers or projects will be marked down.

 

Group Project and Presentation (40%)

In this final assignment, we will bridge the gap between theory, academia and real world applications. Each group decides on an intervention project aiming to have a positive impact relevant to the course. It can be any type of intervention - an information pamphlet, a training program, a podcast, a tedtalk, an afterschool option for children, a documentary movie, a poster campaign for public spaces... the options are numerous. The groups should then prepare a prototype for their project, as well as a short project description paper which should include the following:

• The reason for making a project - what is the need or problem that the project addresses?
• Identification of the target group and the aim of the project. 
• Which theories from the academic field of the psychology of devellopmental disorders are relevant?
• What are the intervention methods?
• What are some potential limitations and problematic aspects of the project?

The groups will then prepare to show their project to the rest of the class. The product is displayed for the class, and a short presentation of the theoretical foundation of the project as well as the potential limitations is included. Lastly, the groups will facilitate a class discussion relevant to the project. 

 

Reflective Essay: Perspectives on Developmental Disorders (35%)

 Assessment Overview

• Length: Maximum 4 pages (1 page = 300 words).
• Exclusions: Title page and references are not included in the page count.
• Core Task: Synthesize academic literature with practical observations to critically analyze key themes in developmental disorders. 

Requirements

• Identify and define core themes and foundational theories from the course syllabus that you find interesting
• Analyze and apply these concepts by linking your field study observations to specific theoretical frameworks, illustrating how you have seen these theories reflected in real-world practice
• Incorporate relevant research
• All citations in the text and the final reference list must follow the APA 7th edition formatting style.

Rubric:
Attendance & participation	25%
Group Project & Presentation	40%
Reflective essay	35%

📚 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 on the first days of class. 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 academicsupport@dis.dk

 

📜 Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes, guest lectures, workshops and field studies. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or other valid reasons, you must let us know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with us as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed.

 

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.  See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

 

Policy for students who arrive late to class

Students arriving over 15 minutes after the beginning of class will not be allowed to participate. One exception throughout the course will be allowed for students arriving within 15 minutes after beginning of class.

 

Laptops in the classroom

The default policy for this class is NO laptops in the classroom.  Both academic research and personal experience have shown laptops to be an enormous source of distraction and an impediment to engaged discussion as well as learning. If you need to use a laptop during class for a specific reason, learning accommodations or otherwise, please discuss this with me in advance. Thank you for your understanding.