BEHAVIOR

Rationale
Prerequisites
Competencies
Processes

Rationale
Providing anticipatory guidance especially in the areas of normative or expected behaviors and identification of abnormal behavior is critical to pediatric practice. Knowledge of age-appropriate behavior allows the physician to recognize deviant behaviors and facilitates earlier intervention.

Prerequisites

• Recognition that the developmental tasks of infancy, childhood and adolescence differ.
• Knowledge of the genetic and environmental influences on behavior and behavioral patterns.

Competencies

Knowledge

1. Identify normal pattern of behaviors in the developing child such as (CP):
   
   
   • newborn infants: development and evolution of social skills
   • toddler: autonomy
   • school age: independence
   • adolescence: abstract thinking
     
     
2. Describe the typical presentation of common behavioral problems and issues in different age groups such as: (CP)
   
   
   • Newborn/infants: sleep problems, colic
   • toddler: temper tantrums, toilet training, feeding problems
   • school age: enuresis, attention deficit, encopresis (M), autism (M)
   • adolescence: eating disorders (CP), risk-taking behavior (CP), conduct disorders (M)
     
     
3. Describe the emotional disturbances or medical conditions that may manifest as alterations in school performance and peer or family relationships. (CP)
4. Distinguish between age-appropriate behavior, inappropriate or abnormal behavior, and those that suggest severe psychiatric or development illness in children of different ages (for example head banging, threatening gestures, suicidal) (M)
5. Describe how somatic complaints may represent psychosocial problems (e.g. recurrent abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, and neurologic complaints (U)
6. Describe the types of situations where pathology in the family (e.g. alcoholism, domestic violence, depression) contributes to childhood behavior problems (U)

Skills

1. Identify behavioral and psychosocial problems of childhood using the medical history and physical examination. (CP)
2. Counsel parents and children about the management of common behavioral concerns such as discipline, toilet training, and eating disorders. (M)

Processes
All students on the Pediatric Clerkship should see a patient or patients with an individual or parental concern over a specified behavior or group of behaviors (e.g. sleep problems, colic, temper tantrums, toilet training, feeding problems, enuresis, attention deficit, encopresis, autism, eating disorders, conduct disorders, head banging, poor school performance).

Click here to link to the Clinical Case Scenarios.