Assessing and Facilitating Children's Cognitive Development: Developmental Counseling and Therapy in a Case of Child Abuse

Abstract

This article presents practical implications for assessing a child's cognitive development and then facilitating developmental growth. The concepts of developmental counseling and therapy (Ivey, 1986, 1990) are presented as a systematic framework to integrate neo‐Piagetian developmental theory into the interview. Specific techniques may be used for assessing cognitive development, expanding horizontal and vertical development, designing systematic questioning sequences, and planning overall treatment. An example of treatment of a case of child abuse illustrates the concepts in action.

Counsellor roles and perceptions of training

“…Skill development demands the learning of appropriate attitudes and responses, but it also the acquisition of a flexible approach to problem solving within the counselling relationship. The development of these skills through micro-teaching experiences is valuable (Ivey, 1988;, but there are other relatively simple procedures that can assist. At The University of Queensland, staff have been piloting an Active Learning Program that uses videotaped problem situations drawn from real cases.…”