Psychology of Child & Adolescent (Certificate of Completion)

Explore major psychology perspectives—from structuralism and functionalism to cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, and cognitive neuroscience—and examine how levels of analysis reveal nature and nurture shaping behavior.

Explore descriptive, correlational, and experimental methods in psychology, examining naturalistic observation, surveys, and case studies, and understanding how independent and dependent variables reveal causal relationships.

Explore folk beliefs about conception and fertility through mythology and folklore, highlighting diverse cultural perspectives on pregnancy legends and miraculous births.

Explore how environmental experiences and epigenetic mechanisms shape gene expression, debunking genetic determinism and highlighting the interactive nature of nature and nurture in child development.

Explore conception, prenatal development from zygote to fetus, placenta function, fetal exposure to sound, and risks like fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, plus birth methods, postpartum adjustments, and bonding.

Explore physical development milestones in infants and toddlers, including growth patterns, motor skills, growth charts, signs of delays, and the role of early screenings.

Explore four types of child maltreatment: physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional maltreatment, and learn the signs, risk factors, and potential long-term consequences for child development.

Explore cognitive development in infants and toddlers, from brain development, memory, and language to thinking, in secure environments and attachment, through Piaget's stages and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.

Explore how emotions, temperament, and attachment shape psychosocial development in infants and toddlers, detailing social referencing, stranger wariness, separation anxiety, and the emergence of self-regulation and personality.

Explore physical growth in early childhood (ages 3 to 6), maturation of gross and fine motor skills, and milestones as guides across cognitive development, hearing, speech, vision, and social-emotional development.

Identify common sleep disorders in children—insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, night terrors, and nightmares—and apply practical sleep hygiene, bedtime routines, and environmental adjustments to improve children's sleep.

Explore Piaget's four cognitive stages and how preschoolers aged three to six learn as active little scientists, through pretend play, language development, and early reasoning and social skills.

Examine how self-concept and self-esteem develop in early childhood, and learn nine practical strategies—unconditional love, independence, chores, and balanced technology use—to boost your child's confidence.

Explore four parenting styles—authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved—and their effects on self-esteem and healthy development, with authoritative parenting highlighted as best.

Explore physical development milestones in middle childhood, ages 6 to 11, focusing on growth, brain changes, and typical development, with age-specific skills like tying shoes and telling time.

Explore childhood obesity in middle childhood (ages 6-11), using BMI and z-scores to assess risk, and practical at-home strategies to increase activity and reduce sedentary behavior.

Explore childhood mental health disorders, including ADHD, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, eating disorders, depression, PTSD, and schizophrenia, and learn signs, risks, and evidence-based treatments like psychotherapy and medication.

Explore disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, its diagnostic criteria, differential diagnoses, and comorbidity, and distinguish it from bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and related conditions.

Explore psychosocial development and peer influences in middle childhood, highlighting how temperament affects peer perception and how parents can foster social abilities through structured guidance, modeling, and open discussion.

Explores puberty as rapid physical and sexual development in adolescence. Highlights hormones, primary and secondary sex characteristics, growth spurts, fertility, and puberty timing.

Explore the DSM-5-TR criteria for ADHD across childhood to adulthood, detailing inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive types, presentation specifiers, severity, and functional impact.

Explore Erikson's identity versus role confusion in adolescence, where teens seek self, values, and goals. See how supportive relationships and peer influence shape identity formation and prevent role confusion.

Explore cognitive development in adolescence through Piaget's formal operational stage, abstract thinking, hypothetical reasoning, and the interaction of nature and nurture, with practical guidance to foster healthy growth.

Explore adolescent sexual behavior, including interactions, trends, and risky practices, and compare abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education while highlighting healthy development and safe decisions.

Explore emerging adulthood as a distinct life stage from ages 18 to 25. Identify five distinctive features: identity exploration, instability, self focus, feeling in between, and broad future possibilities.

Reflect on the most intriguing thing you learned in this course, share a personal reflection, and develop a concrete plan to apply the theories in your personal and professional life.