Thousands of practitioners using prior editions of the DSM have relied on this key resource to optimize 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.


Renée M. Tobin, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychological Studies in Education at Temple University. She teaches graduate-level courses in social, emotional, and behavioral assessment; theories of counseling; consultation; and counseling techniques. She also supervises interns and advanced doctoral students providing assessment, consultation, and therapy for children and adolescents in school, clinic, and residential placement settings. Her primary research publications examine personality and social development, with a focus on promoting emotion regulation processes in youth. Alvin E. House, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Illinois State University. His professional practice and research focus on applying assessment results in school, vocational, medical, and forensic consultations. He is the author of The First Session with Children and Adolescents and coauthor of a manual on observational assessment of children, as well as journal articles and book chapters on intellectual, personality, and neuropsychological testing.