This site provides an overview of childhood psychological disorders that are unlikely to be diagnosed based on biological factors and are likely to need treatment. It provides a brief overview of oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, ADHD/ADD, and separation anxiety disorder. The information on the site is intended for both psychologists and consumers. It does not provide diagnostic criteria, but offers a layperson's explanation for each disorder. This is one component of a larger site, "Psychology Information Online."
Type of Material:
The site is a set of Web pages containing text.
Recommended Uses:
This site might be used as a reference on childhood disorders and when discussing childhood disorders in a class. While it does not go into depth, if does provide a limited understanding of childhood disorders that are likely to benefit from therapy, but that may go untreated and undiagnosed.
Technical Requirements:
There are no technical requirements for the use of the material.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The major learning goal of this site is to provide users with overviews of the behaviors and characteristics associated with four major childhood disorders: oppositional/defiant disorder, conduct disorder, ADD/ADHD, and separation anxiety disorder.
Target Student Population:
The material on this site is intended for consumers in the general public. In higher education, the site would be most appropriate for first- and second-year undergraduates.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
No prerequisite knowledge or skills are needed.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The author of this site is a licensed psychologist who has been in private clinical practice since 1987. He therefore writes about childhood disorders accurately and from a background of extensive training and experience. The information is clear and concise.
Concerns:
There isn't any more information contained on this website than would be found in a chapter on child psychopathology in a child psychology textbook and much less than would be found about these disorders in a basic child psychopathology textbook. The information is rather limited and provides no discussion about the complexities of distinguishing between normal and abnormal behavior. There are warnings that should be included and are not. Finally, there are a number of spelling and grammatical errors on the pages.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The introduction does a nice job of distinguishing between disorders with a known physiological basis and the disorders addressed here. The brief overview of the conditions provides the user with a rudimentary understanding of these childhood disorders. The information is accurate and is written in a non-technical, easy-to-understand way.
Concerns:
There is very little information on this website about childhood disorders. Only four disorders are described and only a few paragraphs are devoted to each. If I wanted my students to investigate childhood disorders, I would find a more comprehensive site to which to send them. Additionally, I would be very hesitant to send students to a site where there are so many spelling and grammatical errors. From a faculty member's standpoint, any instructor wanting to cover child psychopathology in a class or create an assignment on the topic could find numerous better resources from which to learn about these four disorders. Overall, more detail is needed for the site to be maximally effective.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The site is extremely easy to use consisting of only a few pages of simply-written text. All navigation bar and text links work and are easily located on the pages.
Concerns:
There are no concerns related to this site's ease of use.
Other Issues and Comments:
The web site does contain an e-mail address for the psychologist who created and maintains the site.
Creative Commons:
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