Working With Children and Adolescents Versus Adults

Explain why a developmental assessment of children and adolescents is important.

Developmental assessment is the process of evaluating the performance of a child or an adolescent in comparison to other children or adolescents of similar age. It is important because it  assesses the nature and extent of child's psychological and behavioral difficulties, as well as help in identifying factors that may be influencing the child's emotional well-being (Sadock et al., 2014 ). If a child has a developmental delay, it is important to identify it early so that the child and family can receive early intervention and support.

Describe two assessment instruments and explain why they are used for children and

adolescents but not adults.

Behavior  Assessment System for Children (BASC): This is a multidimensional system used to evaluate the behavior and self-perceptions of children, adolescents, and young adults aged 4 through 18 years. It contains a teacher and parent rating scales and child self-report personality permitting multireporter assessment across various domains in home, school, and community. (Kamphaus, 2015; Sadock et al., 2014 ).

Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS):  This assessment tool contains multiple items with space for further clarification. It can be used for children and adolescents from the age of 6 through 18 years of age. It has been used extensively in evaluation of mood disorders . It typically takes between 1 to 1.5 hours to administer. KSADS comes in a form for parents to give information about their child and a version form for use directly with children (Sadock et al., 2014).

These assessment tools are used for children and adolescents but not adults because they helps in the diagnosis of disorders that usually first appear in childhood or adolescence (Kamphaus, 2015).

Describe two treatment options for children and adolescents that may not be used when

treating adults.

Play therapy can be especially effective in the treatment of children  who have experienced trauma, which is difficult to express in words. This therapeutic approach involves the use of toys or dolls to communicate and express thoughts and feelings (Kottman, 2014). According to Sadock et al.( 2014), psychotherapy with children and adolescents is typically more directed and active than it is with adults. Play therapy helps build therapeutic alliance between the children or adolescents with the therapist. In my clinic experience, I have observed that children are more likely to open up to the therapist when there is some type of play activity is involved.

School-age groups: This is an activity group psychotherapy that involves use of interview techniques, verbal explanations of fantasies, group play, work, and other communications. It fosters problem solving among group members as children verbalize in a problem-oriented manner with the ultimate aim of solving the issue (Sadock et al., 2014).

Explain the role parents play in assessment and treatment.

Parents have an important role to play when it comes to assessment and treatment of their children because they are in a good place to paint a clear chronological picture of the child's growth and development. According to Sadock et al.(2014) parents are the best informants about the child's early development and previous psychiatric and medical illnesses, as well as treatments. For adolescents, the parents may not be aware of significant symptoms or social challenges of the child. Therefore, the practitioner may have to draw out the parent's formulation of the causes and nature of their child's issues. Additionally, parents are responsible for ensuring that their child take their medication as prescribed.

References

Kamphaus, R. W. (2015). Behavior Assessment System for Children, (BASC‐2). The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology.

Kottman, T. (2014). Play therapy: Basics and beyond. John Wiley & Sons.

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2014). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.