RPT Child Development & Psychopathology 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which temperament dimension, identified by Thomas and Chess, describes a child's intensity of emotional reaction and is relevant to understanding behavioral problems?
- Approach/Withdrawal
- Intensity of Reaction (Correct answer)
- Quality of Mood
- Distractibility
Correct answer: Intensity of Reaction
Intensity of Reaction refers to the energy level of a child's emotional responses and influences how strongly children react to stimuli.
Question 2: A 10-year-old child experiences recurrent explosive temper outbursts inconsistent with their developmental level at least three times weekly, with persistent irritable mood between outbursts. Which diagnosis best fits?
- Intermittent Explosive Disorder
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (Correct answer)
- Conduct Disorder
Correct answer: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
DMDD is defined by severe, recurrent temper outbursts with persistent irritable or angry mood between episodes, occurring at least 3 times weekly.
Question 3: According to Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, a child's school and peer group are located in which system?
- Microsystem (Correct answer)
- Mesosystem
- Exosystem
- Macrosystem
Correct answer: Microsystem
The microsystem includes the immediate settings where the child directly participates, such as family, school, and peer groups.
Question 4: A clinician notes that a 6-year-old child exhibits night terrors, sleepwalking, and confused arousal. These symptoms best fit which sleep disorder category in DSM-5?
- REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
- Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Arousal Disorders (Correct answer)
- Nightmare Disorder
- Restless Legs Syndrome
Correct answer: Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Arousal Disorders
Non-REM Sleep Arousal Disorders include sleepwalking and sleep terror types, which typically occur during deeper slow-wave sleep.
Question 5: In assessing a child for possible Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which combination of features would most strongly support this diagnosis?
- High IQ with emotional dysregulation and hypersensitivity
- Characteristic facial features, growth deficiency, and CNS dysfunction with confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure (Correct answer)
- Severe anxiety, social withdrawal, and sensory processing difficulties
- Intellectual disability with macrocephaly and repetitive motor behaviors
Correct answer: Characteristic facial features, growth deficiency, and CNS dysfunction with confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure
FASD diagnosis requires characteristic facial features (smooth philtrum, thin vermilion border, small palpebral fissures), growth deficiency, and CNS dysfunction tied to prenatal alcohol exposure.
Question 6: Which neurobiological structure, often called the 'smoke detector of the brain,' plays a central role in the fear response and is implicated in childhood anxiety and PTSD?
- Hippocampus
- Prefrontal Cortex
- Amygdala (Correct answer)
- Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Correct answer: Amygdala
The amygdala rapidly detects threat and triggers the fear response, and is hyperactivated in childhood anxiety disorders and PTSD.
Question 7: When a child in play therapy uses a baby doll to enact scenes of neglect and hunger, this is best understood through which theoretical lens as a form of communication?
- Cognitive distortion requiring cognitive restructuring
- Symbolic communication of personal experience through displacement (Correct answer)
- Maladaptive fantasy that should be redirected
- Evidence of psychotic thinking requiring psychiatric referral
Correct answer: Symbolic communication of personal experience through displacement
In play therapy, children use symbolic displacement — projecting experiences onto toys or characters — to communicate and process personal material safely.
RPT Child Development & Psychopathology 4
Which temperament dimension, identified by Thomas and Chess, describes a child's intensity of emotional reaction and is relevant to understanding behavioral problems?