Paul J. Frick

As reflected in the title, the purpose of this book is to guide clinicians in understanding and treating youth with severe antisocial behavior. Children and adolescents with conduct disorders operate at quite a high cost to society. In many opinion polls, juvenile crime and violence is rated as one of the most pressing concerns for many in our society. This widespread concern has prompted professionals from many disciplines to search for more effective interventions to prevent and treat youth with such disorders. This book is my attempt to summarize the current status of this very important endeavor. In providing this guide to clinicians, I have attempted to emphasize the critical link between understanding the clinical presentation, course, and causes of conduct disorders and designing effective interventions for children and adolescents with these disorders. Many past books, book chapters, and review articles have emphasized one or the other of these objectives. Some have provided excellent summaries of the vast amount of research on youth with conduct disorders without explicitly and clearly describing the clinical applica tions of this research. Others have focused on the implementation of specific interventions for youth with conduct disorders that is divorced from a basic understanding of the many diverse and clinically important characteristics of this population. The overriding theme of this book is that successful clinical inter vention requires an integration of both bodies of knowledge.

Conduct Disorders and Severe Antisocial Behavior

Randy W. Kamphaus

Christopher T. Barry

Psychologists offer an increasing variety of services to the public. Among these services, psychological assessment of personality and behavior continues to be a central activity. One main reason is that other mental health professionals often do not possess a high level of competence in this area. And when dealing with children and adolescents, psychological assessment seems to take on an even greater role. Therefore, it follows that comprehensive graduate-level instruction in assessment should be a high priority for educators of psychologists who will work with these youth. This textbook is organized into three sections, consistent with the authors’ approach to teaching. Part I provides students with the psychological knowledge base necessary for modern assessment practice, including historical perspectives, measurement science, child psychopathology, ethical, legal, and cultural issues, and the basics of beginning the assessment process. Part II gives students a broad review of the specific assessment methods used by psychologists, accompanied by specific advice regarding the usage and strengths and weaknesses of each method. In Part III, we help students perform some of the most sophisticated of assessment practices: integrating and communicating assessment results and infusing assessment practice with knowledge of child development and psychopathology to assess some of the most common types of behavioral and emotional disorders in youth. A text focusing on assessment practices must be updated every four to six years to keep pace with advances in test development. For example, several of the major tests reviewed in the text, such as the Behavioral Assessment System for Children and the Child Behavior Checklist, have undergone major revisions since the publication of the last edition making the current content outdated. Further, another major test, the Conners’ Rating Scales, is undergoing substantial revisions that should be completed before publication of the next edition. Finally, the evidence for the validity of the tests and the recommendations for their appropriate use evolve as research accumulates and requires frequent updating to remain current. For example, there was a special issue of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology published focusing on evidenced-based assessment of the major forms of childhood psychopathology that will need to be integrated into the chapters in Part 3. This latter point reflects an important trend in the field that should influence the marketing of the book. That is, there are several initiatives being started in all of the major areas of applied psychology (e.g., school, clinical, and counseling) to promote evidenced-based assessment practices. These initiatives have all emphasized the need to enhance the training of graduate students in this approach to assessment. This has been the orientation of this textbook from its first edition: that is, Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality and Behavior has focused on using research to guide all recommendations for practice. The ability of the textbook to meet this training need should be an important focus of marketing the book to training programs across all areas of applied psychology.

Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality and Behavior

The fourth edition of this textbook offers a scientific and practical context within which to understand and conduct clinical assessments of children’s and adolescent’s personality and behavior. The new edition ensures that the content is relevant to diagnostic criteria for major forms of child and adolescent psychopathology in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). It provides updated information on specific tests and discusses advances in research that have occurred since the last edition that are relevant for assessing the most common forms of psychopathology shown by children and adolescents. The volume is unique in providing both the scientific and ethical basis to guide psychological testing, as well as providing practical advice for using specific tests and assessing specific forms of psychopathology. This new edition: Highlights how current trends in psychological classification, such as the DSM-5 and the Research Domain Criteria, should influence the clinical assessment of children and adolescents. Provides updates to professional standards that should guide test users. Discusses practical considerations in planning and conducting clinical assessments. Evaluates the most recent editions of common tests used in the clinical assessment of child and adolescent personality and behavior. Provides an overview of how to screen for early signs of emotional and behavioral risk for mental problems in children and adolescents. Discusses practical methods for integrating assessment information collecting as part of a clinical assessment. Uses current research to guide clinical assessments of children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, conduct problems, depression, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorder. Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality and Behavior is a valuable updated resource for graduate students as well as veteran and beginning clinicians across disciplines, including school, clinical child, developmental, and educational psychology; psychiatry; counseling; and social work; as well as related disciplines that provide mental health and educational services to children and adolescents.

Paul J. Frick

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