Child Behavioral Assessment & Management in Primary Care: Theory & Practice

When it comes to behavior, professionals who work in primary care medical settings with children are most often oriented toward diagnosing abnormal conditions. Yet the great majority of concerns expressed by caregivers about their children's behavior are of mild or moderate severity; they do not meet the definition of any DSM-IV disorder that can be diagnosed and treated. This book, written by two clinicians who have worked for many years in primary care, suggests that health care professionals should view children's behavior as a spectrum where normal conflicts shade into problems and then disordered behavior, rather than making a categorical judgment about whether symptoms being presented by the caregiver are severe enough to diagnose and treat as an abnormal condition. In this book, how temperament and behavioral dysfunction are related, and how professionals in primary care should approach problems in adjustment are considered and recommendations for improving the care of children are suggested.