Overview

Write a 4 page assessment in which you analyze and compare two authors' positions on bipolar disorder in children.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

This course asks you to think critically about the current diagnostic system and the medical model of mental illness. Perhaps no area requires the student of abnormal psychology to exercise this judgment more carefully than how to use and apply these models as does the diagnosis of children. D. W. Winnicott is known for his famous aphorism "There is no such thing as a baby." What Winnicott meant is that an infant exists inextricably in relation to its caregivers, so much so that the infant cannot be conceived of independently. Many family therapists would extend this principle to children in general. Because of their dependency relative to adults, children cannot realistically be thought of in isolation of the family environments in which they exist and upon which they depend.

Assessment Instructions

To prepare for this assessment, complete the following:

Read Post's 2009 article "Childhood-onset Bipolar Disorder: The Perfect Storm," linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading.

Read Sahling's 2009 article "Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Underdiagnosed or Fiction?," linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading.

Use the Capella University Library and the Internet to locate scholarly or professional articles written more recently than 2009 on the topic of pediatric bipolar disorder.

Professional psychologists need to be able to analyze the arguments and reasoning of authors on different issues in psychology. After reading the articles by Sahling and Post and conducting your own research on the topic of pediatric bipolar disorder, write an assessment in which you apply your critical thinking skills to analyze and compare the positions taken by the authors.

Complete the following:

Compare the main arguments used by Sahling and Post.

Analyze the supporting evidence used for the arguments.

Analyze the assumptions made by Sahling and Post to uphold their arguments.

Compare the conclusions and implications of the conclusions.

Determine which author makes a more compelling argument and whether more recent research supports or refutes the argument.

Your completed assessment must have the following elements:

Title page.

Introduction.

Body.

Conclusion.

Reference page: You must use at least two scholarly or professional resources in addition to the Sahling and Post articles.

If you wish, you may use the APA Paper Template, linked in the Resources, to complete this assessment.

Additional Requirements

Title page: Include a title, your name, course, date, and faculty name.

Reference: Use a minimum of two scholarly or professional sources in addition to the Sahling and Post articles

Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

APA formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA style and formatting.

Length: Your assessment should be 4-5 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page and reference page.

Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.