In all editions of this text, a consistent link remains the belief that childhood psychopathology should be viewed as a deviation from the normal pattern of development.

From such a perspective, normal development serves as the starting point for understanding childhood disorders. The essential challenge lies in discovering the causes that lead to the deviation and the causes that either maintain the deviation or favor the restoration of normalcy.

Because of such a perception of deviations in development, an entire chapter (Chapter 2) deals with the normal developmental course of ten psychological processes related to understanding the various disorders that will be discussed next: attachment (or bonding), initiative, self-control, consciousness, cognitive processes, anxiety, sexuality, aggression, peer relationships, and industriousness.

In this way, the roots of a certain deviation from the normal pattern of development will be revealed. Autism, for example, is related to the normal development of toddlers; reading difficulties with the smooth course of acquiring reading ability.

An educational advantage of Chapter 2 is that readers from different backgrounds (e.g., educators or social workers) can equally benefit from understanding the development of the ten above-mentioned critical psychological processes.

[Excerpt from the text of the preface]