Abnormal Child & Adolescent Psychology

Resources for students and teachers...

Case Studies

Case Studies in Abnormal Child & Adolescent Psychology (2021) consists of 56 new vignettes designed to illustrate principles of developmental psychopathology and children's mental health problems. All cases are written by the author of the textbook and correspond to material presented in the text.


Each case is presented briefly (i.e., 1-2 pages) so that they can be used for in-class activities, homework assignments or group projects, or questions on exams. Each case is followed by discussion questions that ask students to apply key concepts from the text, review diagnostic criteria and possible causes for each disorder, and generate an evidence-based treatment plan for the child and family.


The online instructor’s site provides professors with each child’s diagnosis and answers to discussion questions. 


The student edition omits this information.


Most importantly, the case studies help students to focus on children and families, rather than on disorders. I hope that these case studies give you greater freedom to engage and challenge your students in new and creative ways.


Sample Case Studies:



What is Abnormal?

Understanding Developmental Psychopathology (Chapter 1)
This short activity introduces students to way mental health professionals differentiate abnormal behavior from normative child development. To best understand children's behavior, we must consider its developmental and social-cultural context.

Cheerful Robin

Intellectual Disability & Developmental Disorders (Chapter 5)
Milena is a 6-year-old girl with friendly disposition who has Down syndrome. This vignette helps students understand the difference between intellectual and adaptive functioning, behavioral phenotypes for developmental disorders, and evidence-based interventions to help girls like Milena reach their academic and social-emotional potentials.

Forgotten Faith

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Chapter 8)
Faith is the perfect student - except she has trouble paying attention during class. This vignette helps students differentiate between the hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms of ADHD, understand the neurological correlates of inattention and "sluggish cognitive tempo," and evaluate the efficacy of medication and behavior therapy for children with attention problems.

The New Kid

Depression, Suicide, & Self-Injury (Chapter 13)
Sixteen-year-old Danielle isn't adjusting well to her new school. Her grades are bad, she doesn't fit in with the other girls on the lacrosse team, and she misses her old friends. In this vignette, students apply behavioral, cognitive, and interpersonal theory to help explain Danielle's problems.

Test Bank

Instructors have access to a test bank to help them create exams. The test bank includes more than 1,000 multiple choice or true-false items and more than 150 essay questions and answers. Items can be selected based on topic, learning objective, cognitive domain (e.g., describe, apply, analyze), and difficulty level.

PowerPoint Presentations and Videos

Sample PowerPoint presentations for each chapter to help you get started. Each presentation features key concepts, theories, and models; complete DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for each disorder; and images and figures from the text. You can also combine these presentations with videos from the "student resources and videos" section for greater student engagement.

Access the Instructor Resources

Instructors can access these resources plus Sage Edge for Instructors, a collection of full text Sage journal articles, videos, and multimedia links. Access these materials through Sage Publishing.