A guide to differentiated developmental diagnosis with a case demonstrating its use

The great influx of children needing assessment has presented all diagnosticians with a large body of patients whose conflicts are relatively unfamiliar ones. These children do not fit into the expectable pattern of normal development, nor is an adult-oriented frame of reference of much help in understanding them. What seems needed is a schema in which the developmental deficiencies of these children are related to their present functioning. This paper introduces a guide covering five aspects of development. The guide gives descriptions of normal functioning at ages 0 to 1 1/2, 1 1/2 to 3, 3 to 6, and 6 to 10, and also shows the persistence of this functioning as it is reflected in the attitudes, feelings, and behavior of primary school children. A case illustration is presented that demonstrates the use of the guide.