Academic Child Psychiatry Unit

Key Elements Of Assessment

  • Foundational theoretical model of research within the ACPU:

    [1] Risk and[2] resilience factors need to be determined at the levels of

    [a] clinical phenomena (symptoms and signs),

    [b] biological measures and

    [c] environmental measures

    The above risk and resilience factors need to be studied within and across specific developmental stages to determine whether they are stage-specific or stage-independent.  That is, a risk factor at one developmental stage may be a resilience factor at another.

    Level of inquiry

    NOTE FOR INFORMATION CONTAINED BELOW: These clinical, biological and environmental phenomena need to be assessed as risk or resilience factors at different developmental stages.

    Clinical phenomena symptoms and signs
    >Biological phenomena
    IQ Verbal IQ, Performance IQ
    Language-based learning skills spelling, reading, arithmetic
    Neuropsychological constructs spatial memory, spatial working memory
    Neurophysiological constructs pro-saccades, anti-saccades
    Brain neuronal networks fMRI parieto-frontal, fMRI temporo-frontal paradigms
    Molecular genetics
    (eg. COMT val/met polymorphism and working memory performance)
    canditate genes

    Environmental phenomena
    Parental symptoms psychopathology
    Parental relationships problem solving
    Family relationships adaptiveness
    Peer relationships confiding nature