Adopting a developmental psychopathology approach to understanding child disorders this introductory undergraduate text on child and adolescent psychopathology examines: the emergence of disorders over time; pays special attention to risk and protective factors that influence developmental processes and trajectories, and examines child psychopathology in the context of normal development.

The author has four main goals: to show students why an understanding of child psychopathology and its treatment might be important to them as future psychologists, social workers, educators, and/or parents; to introduce students to the developmental psychopathology perspective and how it can help organize understanding of childhood disorders; to help students appreciate the interdependence of psychological research and clinical practice; and to engage students in higher-level thinking necessary to analyze information, critically evaluate ideas, and create solutions to real-world problems based on empirically validated findings.