In Understanding Abnormal Child Psychology, students will learn about both normative and abnormal development throughout children’s lives. Consistent with previous editions, several themes run throughout the book:  



Developmental psychopathology: Children's and adolescents' behaviors are on a continuum (from very adaptive to very maladaptive), with only the very severe ends of the spectrum being conceptualized as disorders.
Diversity, inclusion, and understanding: Special attention is given to issues of race/ethnicity, gender, family constellation, religious orientation, primary language, socioeconomic status, and physical differences to help students see the commonalities and differences of abnormal child behavior within a cross-cultural and international context.

New to the 4th edition



Completely revised in both structure and content to reflect the DSM-5
Increase coverage of risk factors related to long-term effects of sexual abuse and bullying.
Increased coverage of diversity to include new "diversities" that have emerged as important, i.e. transgender children
New research on suicide and suicide prevention