Introduction to the

course
PSYC 2017 – DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS IN CHILDHOOD AND
ADOLESCENCE
INSTRUCTOR: TERYN BRUNI, PHD., BCBA
Objectives…
Introductions

Review syllabus and course expectations

Q&A
Education and Interests
 CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
2018 — 2022
Clinical Assistant Professor in Pediatrics
Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
2016 — 2018
Postdoctoral Fellowship
Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI Teryn Bruni, PhD, BCBA-D
2015 — 2016
Predoctoral Internship Office: SH508
Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
Email: teryn.bruni@algomau.ca
2014 — 2015
Community Mental Health Central Michigan
Mount Pleasant, MI
2010 — 2011 Research Interests:
• Integrated Mental Health
Spectrum Intervention Group Autism Program • Brief Evidence-based
Ottawa, ON
Interventions
2008 — 2010
• Mental health training and
Niagara Child & Youth Services 2007 — 2008 implementation
St. Catharines, ON Community Living Algoma • Healthcare and mental health
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
access
• Wellness and prevention
Review of Syllabus and Course
Expectations

Evaluation Access to
Review Syllabus
Criteria Resources
Course Resources
PowerPoint slides All slides will be posted ~24 hours before each class.

Textbook Batshaw, M.L, Roizen, N.J., Pellegrino, L. (2019). Children with

Disabilities. Brookes Publishing: 8th Edition

Articles Articles posted in Moodle and on lecture slides are meant

to supplement the text book and provide free educational
resources to help you learn the course material. Articles
will be uploaded and citations/links will be embedded
within lecture slides.

Additional web Websites will be listed on Moodle and within lecture

resources slides. Websites are meant to provide free additional
resources, show interesting applications, and support
course content. URLs will be provided on Moodle and
embedded in lecture slides using QR codes and URLs.
Q&A Syllabus
Moodle
Textbook
Access to course resources
About me
Class policies
Attendance
Evaluation criteria
Developmental Disorders in Childhood and
Adolescence

Child Development:
Overview
Instructor: Teryn P. Bruni, PhD., BCBA-D
Objectives …
Review definition of child development

Discuss prominent theories of child development

Understand the meaning of a developmental milestone and relevant domains

Define and explain atypical development

Defining Child Development
• Changes children experience across multiple domains as they
grow

• Developmental domains are functionally relevant

• Development has a typical trajectory (expected and present among

most children and adolescents)

• Atypical development can result in challenges in daily functioning and

learning
8 Things to Remember about Child
Development
• Adverse impacts of family and environmental stress on
infants and children
• Development is a combination of genes and environment
interacting
• Children benefit from strong positive relationships with
responsive caregivers bother within and outside family unit
• Development does not end after a child’s first birthday
• Seriousness of childhood neglect as a threat to development
• Children exposed to adversity or violence do not invariably
development maladaptive behavior, mental health problems,
or become violent adults
• Removing a child from a dangerous environment does not
reverse the negative impact of that environment
• Resilience requires relationships
Resilience in Children
• Relationship with supportive
adult
• Common factors predispose
children to positive outcomes
• Learning to cope with stress and
adversity
• Never too late to foster resilience

What is Resilience?
Developmental Theories
Theoretical Perspectives on Development

Neurological Perspectives • Brain maturation occurs in parallel with developmental changes

• Emphasis on neuroplasticity (brain’s ability to change and adapt)
Erikson’s theory of social • Eight stages of development in which we are confronted with tasks/crises that must be
development resolved
• Resolution of these crises results in healthy social development

Piaget’s theory of cognitive • Four stages of cognitive development that center around organization and adaptation
development • Stages are age related, consist of distinct ways of thinking and understanding the world

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural • Emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development
Cognitive Theory • Child development is inseparable from social and cultural experience

Bandura’s social learning • Behavior, environment, and cognition are key factors in development
theory • Emphasis on observational learning

Bronfrenbrenner’s • Development reflects the influence of several environmental systems and the interaction
ecological theory of across and within each of those systems
development
Developmental Milestones
A developmental milestone is a behavior, ability, or skill that emerges at
a particular age in most children and that can easily be observed and
described

Milestones are characterized as belonging to specific functional

domains that can be divided and described in different ways for
different purposes
Developmental Milestones
Commonly described domains include: • Some milestones are more
• Gross motor precisely defined than others
• Fine motor
• Milestones are essential to
• Language and communication
the processes of
• Cognition and problem solving developmental assessment,
• Play but must be employed and
• Social interpreted cautiously by
trained and experienced
professionals
Milestone Moments
• https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/
pdf/parents_pdfs/milestonemomentse
ng508.pdf

Page 21 – example of what babies should

do by month 12
 Object Permanence

No object permanence https://www.youtube.com/watch

?v=rVqJacvywAQ

Demonstrates object permanence

https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=L4LMPhUoQeQ
Development and Adaptation
Behavior and Skills
Mobility Skills Key Milestone: Walking Example: Basic motor skills like standing
and walking allow mastery of more
complex coordination of motor
movements such as those required for
riding a bike or dancing
Adaptive Skills Key Milestone: Problem Solving Example: Early adaptive problem solving
skills such as object permanence allow
for more advanced skills such as
dressing, eating and drinking
Social Skills Key Milestone (s): Theory of mind and social Example: TOM test
reciprocity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG
Sj2zY2OEM
Language Skills Key Milestone: Requesting and reciprocal language Example: Being able to use language to
get things we want or to evoke a
response in others – saying cup when
you want someone to give you a cup
Atypical Development

Motor Skills Cognitive Skills

Gross motor Language
Fine motor Problem solving

Atypical
Development

Social Skills Activities of Daily Living

Pragmatic language Toileting
Reciprocity Feeding
Determining Atypical Development
• Atypical development is a departure from expected development

• Delays: Development that has not occurred in the expected timeframe

or is “late” – may be global (across multiple domains) or specific to one
domain
• Example: 3 year old who displays very few vocalizations or words

• Deviance/Divergence: Development that is qualitatively different than

seen in most children rather than delayed
• Example: Child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder who
displays stereotypical behavior (e.g., hand flapping)
Determining Atypical Development
Developmental delays or divergence can be detected
through the use of developmental screening:

• Use of specific, standardized screening tools

• Recommended at 9, 18, and 24 or 30 months for all
children
• Designed to identify children at risk for ongoing
developmental problems
• Response to screening: Further assessment
(developmental diagnosis and early intervention to
promote developmental progress)
Resources/Websites:
• https://harvardcenter.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/8-Things-to-Remember-A
bout-Child-Development.pdf

• https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/resilience/

• https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/milestonemomentseng508.pdf

• https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/index.html

• https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/behavior-and-development#healthy-development

• https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/screening.html

• https://cps.ca/en/tools-outils