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Major developmental milestones are primarily assessed during early childhood in cognitive, language, motor and social and emotional areas. This field has expanded to include adolescence and adult development, aging and the entire lifespan.
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Autism Spectrum Disorders are life-long developmental disabilities with the onset typically before 36 months and characterised by impairments in communication, social interactions and stereotypical behaviours, interests and activities. The earlier the disorder is diagnosed, the sooner the child can be helped through treatment interventions. Diagnostic and screening instruments have been developed to gather information about a child's social and communicative development.
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Recent advances in psychological, medical, and physiological research have led to a new way of thinking about health and behaviour. Health and behaviour are considered the product of a combination of factors including biological characteristics (e.g., genetic predisposition), behavioural factors (e.g., lifestyle, stress, health beliefs), and social conditions (e.g., cultural influences, family relationships). This is a typical area where the debate of nature vs nurture is often conducted.
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Counselling psychology usually involves the facilitation of personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span with a focus on emotional, social, vocational, educational, health-related, developmental and organisational concerns. Through the integration of theory, research, and practice, this specialty encompasses a broad range of practices that help people improve their well-being, alleviate distress and maladjustment, and resolve crises.
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Forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals. An important aspect of forensic psychology is the ability to testify in court, reformulating psychological findings into the legal language of the courtroom, and providing information to legal personnel in a way that can be understood.
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Cognitive development is mainly concerned with how people acquire, process and store information. It is primarily the study of mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. Major topics in cognitive development are the study of language acquisition and the development of perceptual and motor skills. There are numerous practical applications for cognitive research, such as ways to improve memory, how to increase decision-making accuracy, and how to structure educational curricula to enhance learning.
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Neuropsychological assessment is traditionally conducted to assess the extent of impairment to a particular skill in an attempt to locate an area of the brain which may have been damaged after brain injury or a neurological illness. A core part of neuropsychological assessment is the administration of neuropsychological tests for the formal assessment of cognitive functioning. Aspects of cognitive functioning that are assessed typically include orientation, new-learning/memory, intelligence, language, visuo perception, and executive-functioning.
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Personality comprises the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour that make a person unique. Personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life. Because personality disorders are chronic and pervasive, they can lead to serious impairments in daily life and functioning.
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