Course Syllabus

Developmental Disorders

Semester & Location:	Summer 2024 - Session 1 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Core Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Child Development, Psychology
Prerequisite(s):	One psychology course at university level.
Faculty Members:	Veronika Leonova (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Contact:	Department email address psy.cns@dis.dk
Time & Place:	Class times may vary see course calendar for details Classroom: N7-C23

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. Within the developmental psychopathology framework, 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, amelioration, 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 and emotions associated with each disorder and compare and contrast these to other disorders relevant to the course.

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 prevention and treatment, as well as refer to research in the area.

 

Faculty

Veronika Leonova

M.A. in Clinical Psychology (Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2011). Jungian Analytical Psychotherapy education (Moscow Association for Analytical Psychology, 2012). Worked as a clinical psychologist in various institutions and taught as an external lecturer at “The Higher School of Psychology” in Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology. In Denmark since 2015. I work with children, adolescents and adults, conducting individual and group therapy in private practice and as a volunteer in NEFOS. With DIS since 2017.

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.

Students will also be introduced to peer-reviewed articles when relevant. These will be available on Canvas.

 

Approach to Teaching

I focus on creating an open and challenging learning environment, where there’s room for questions, discussions, group work, and case studies. It is important for me to motivate and inspire my students to develop their own critical thinking skills by engaging them in the learning process as active collaborators. In class I expect you to be present, ask questions and participate in discussions. All opinions and points of view are welcome within the context of constructive discussion. I also believe that in studying psychology personal growth and change is as important, as learning theory and strive to create a safe room for everyone to express their personal response to our material.

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 participate actively during class and field studies. It is also highly important that you read the articles and other material given to you before every class.

Apart from asking questions, participating in discussions and offering critical reflections on the topics, students are expected to consider how their contributions affect the overall work climate in class.

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.

 

Evaluation

The evaluation of the course is an ongoing process.

 

Grading:

Assignment	Percent
Class participation	50%
Outline of the presentation	20%
Final presentation	30%
Total	100%

Class participation:

Class participation consists of:

• attendance 
• active participation: asking and answering questions, participating in in-plenum discussions
• completing all the assigned readings and being able to use the knowledge in discussion 
• being active during case work

Final presentation:

For a final group project you will present relevant theoretical and research material and lead discussion on the topic related to Developmental Disorders, typically in groups of 4-5.

You are welcome to choose a topic, that we've already discussed in our course, but narrow it down to something you are specifically interested in (ex: not just "ADHD", but "Treating ADHD with CBT" or "Cultural differences in ADHD presentations”, etc.) You can also choose a topic, related to developmental disorders, but not featured in our course. (a disorder, a theory, therapeutic approach, etc.) I am all in for interesting new topics. Make sure you choose a topic that both: 

1. Really interests you (don't waste your time researching something that you don't find interesting or exciting, try to use this assignment for your own benefit)

2. You can find at least 2 (good) research papers on. 

You are expected to develop expertise on the topic and develop a plan for your part of the class that balances the time between presentation and leading discussion. The goal is to broaden our understanding of the topic and for you to learn how to investigate a topic more deeply, organize and present material to others in an interesting and informative way (this can also include activities, film clips, etc.). 

You will be expected to include a Scandinavian/Danish perspective on the issues if possible. You will be expected to submit an outline for the class and will be evaluated on your planning, the effective use of outside materials, your presentation, your facilitation of class discussion, and the overall educational value of your part of the class.

Rubric:

	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
Presentation   50%   Presentation includes relevant information, readings and illustrations (slides, video, etc)	Poor   Leaders show some significant gaps and/or inaccuracies in understanding the topic; Leaders are unprepared and/or looking at their phones. Presentation is hard to understand.	Fair   Leaders demonstrate general understanding of the topic; may show evidence of some gaps in comprehension / preparation. Presentation is not easy to follow.	Good   Solid understanding and presentation of the topic; may miss some nuances of meaning. Presentation is relatively easy to follow.	Excellent   Thorough presentation of the topic - leaders show a depth of insight and careful preparation. Presentation is engaging and easy to understand.
Facilitating discussion   50%   Generating sufficient discussion	Poor   Leaders ineffectively engage students. Discussion falls flat due to presenters’ difficulties. Engagement of classmates was weak.	Fair   Leaders have some difficulties leading the discussion (e.g., no elaboration or minimal opportunity for discussion; allows discussion to remain off-topic) but show at least some skill as facilitators.	Good   The discussion is well lead. May need more follow-up questions, to engage students more, or to engage more students, or to keep discussion on-track.	Excellent   Leaders effectively engage students in discussing the topic. Listen well and respond appropriately. Use follow-up questions to expand the discussion. Encourage all students to participate.

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.

Use of laptops or phones in class 

To establish a positive learning environment, it is important that everyone is present in body and mind, and not distracted by technology or other disruptive behaviors. Therefore, students are not allowed to use laptops/Tablets/iPads in the classroom unless agreed upon for specified tasks such as article reading and/or for discussion purposes and/or note-taking. Cellular phones must be switched off during class. Disregard of these rule will have a very negative impact on the student participation grade.

 

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