465-324 CDS32P Developmental Differences (FT)

CDS22P and CDS23P, or equivalent.

A study of the effects of a range of developmental differences commonly found in young children. A major focus will be on how children's behaviour relates to brain structure and function; the organisation of the brain and principles of neural development. Anomalies of development will be considered through examination of current research on links between brain and behaviour in, for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, Tourette's syndrome, learning disabilities, dyslexia, aphasia, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy; congenital anomalies, including spina bifida and heart malformations; causes and consequences of intellectual disability. Behavioural disorders including fears, phobia and anxiety, eating and sleeping disorders, stress and aggression; sensory impairment, especially hearing and visual impairment; and genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis and thalassaemia. For research skill development, where appropriate, students will identify a research question and design a simple project to answer that question.

Assignment(s) totalling 2000 words, and a 2-hour written examination.

• A Talay-Ongan, Typical and Atypical Development in Early Childhood. Memo, 2000.