DSM-5 Diagnosis in the Schools

Thousands of practitioners using prior editions of the DSM have relied on this key resource to optimise their diagnostic practices in PreK-12 settings. Now significantly revised for DSM-5, the book cuts through the overwhelming length and complexity of the diagnostic manual by focusing thematically on the most common child and adolescent concerns. Tips are provided for diagnostic decision making and coding, and technical terms are demystified. Emphasis is given to using diagnosis as a foundation for effective intervention. The book highlights links to special education eligibility under IDEA and discusses ethical and professional issues in school-based assessment.

New to This Edition

• Revised throughout for DSM-5.
• Restructured chapters on learning, communication, and motor problems; mood problems; anxiety problems; conduct problems; and impulse-control problems.
• Updated content on IDEA 2004.
• Notes encapsulating changes to each set of diagnostic criteria, for those familiar with the prior DSM.
• Author Commentary sidebars sharing clinical insights and experiences.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Purposes and Features of This Book

I. Diagnostic Issues and the Use of DSM-5

2. Psychiatric Diagnosis: Issues for School Psychologists
3. An Overview of the DSM-5 Diagnostic System
4. Learning to Use DSM-5

II. Guidelines for Evaluation of Presenting Problems

5. Problems with Intellectual Ability and Cognition
6. Learning, Communication, and Motor Problems
7. Highly Atypical Symptom Patterns: Autism Spectrum Disorders and Psychoses
8. Mood Problems
9. Anxiety Problems
10. Other Internalizing Problems
11. Problems with Conduct
12. Problems with Impulse Control
13. Highly Focused Symptom Patterns
14. Substance-Related Problems and Other Addictive Behaviors
15. Personality Disorders
16. Additional Codes and Categories

III. The Application of DSM-5 In School Settings: Issues and Topics

17. Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Evaluation
18. The Case Record: Data and Supporting Documentation for Diagnosis
19. Seeking Reimbursement for Assessment and Diagnosis within School Settings
20. DSM-5 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
21. Concerns about DSM-5

"Tobin and House have provided a coherent, consistent, and valuable review of DSM-5 diagnostic practices for the school psychologist. Used alongside DSM-5, this book will greatly facilitate understanding and application of diagnostic criteria in schools and related settings. After digesting the introductory chapters, practitioners can use the chapters on specific disorders as a handy reference. This book will be helpful as a supplemental text in child psychopathology courses for school psychologists; students will gain an understanding of the conceptual bases of practical diagnostic schema and their utility in deriving effective interventions."
- Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, Psychological Assessment