Child / Adolescent Psychology

The Fresh Start clinical and child care team have a range of skills which facilitate excellent standards of assessment and treatment of children and adolescents who present with behavioural challenges. Any assessment of a child involves formulation of the presenting problems in a coherent and meaningful way. With children, problems have multiple dimensions and are complex both in their presentations and causations. Most childhood disorders are determined by the reciprocal interplay of characteristics of the child and the quality of the environment in which he or she develops.

The main factors that are assessed include;

• Identification of the presenting problems.
• The child's temperament or style of behaviour. 
• Other Developmental disorders that may be present; intellectual or learning disability and autistic spectrum disorders, which are all associated with externalising behaviour problems in children and adolescents.
• Parental factors; a number of factors including depression in mothers, anti social behaviour in parents and high degrees of parental distress are all factors associated with childhood behaviour problems;  also the quality of the parent-child relationship and how available, sensitive and responsive the parent is to meet the child's emotional needs. Parenting practices are assessed; where appropriate, treatment needs are identified.

Tools used for assessment 

• The main assessment methods used in evidence based practice are:
• Diagnostic interviews.
• Parent rating scales or information from the care team.
• Child self rating scales.
• Direct observation.

Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (Silverman et al. 2001).

NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (Shaffer et al. 2000).

Child Behaviour Checklist (Achenbach, 1991); for anxiety, mood, ADHD and conduct disorders.

Children's Depression Inventory (Kovac's Depression Inventory, 1985).

Child and Adolescent Social and Adaptive Functioning Scale (Price et al. 2002). 

A strict reliance on diagnosis of particular disorders fails to capture the needs individual children may have. Such needs might include improving the adolescent's friendships, grades at school, and/or family relationships. Fresh Start's Forensic Psychology assessments complements these needs as do our other Assessment Services. If you would like to speak to somebody about our range of assessments please call 059 9139454 or send an email in confidence to assessments@freshstart.ie