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The Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section focuses on developmental disabilities and mental health disorders with origins in early development in infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Behavioral, cognitive, socioemotional, neurobiological, behavioral and molecular genetic, and neuroimaging approaches are examined. Emphasis is on human studies of etiology, diagnosis, phenotypic description, and intervention in developmental disabilities and mental health disorders. Specific areas covered include:

• Developmental Disabilities: Diagnosis, etiology, comorbidity, and developmental course of developmental disorders including autism, mental retardation, ADHD, motor problems, and learning disabilities.
• Child Psychopathology: Diagnosis, etiology, comorbidity, clinical course and outcomes in child and adolescent psychopathology including mood disorders, behavior disorders, eating disorders, autoimmune disorders, stress disorders, personality disorders, and substance use disorders.
• At-risk Infants: Short- and long-term functional and clinical outcome of infants and children with identified risk factors including early brain injury, prematurity, low birth weight, genetic risk, environmental risk and teratogen exposure, including maternal substance use.
• Etiology and Mechanisms: Biological, genetic and neural factors underlying developmental disorders and child psychopathology. Included are molecular genetic and behavioral genetic studies, neuropathological studies, neurochemical and neuroimaging studies, and studies of teratogenic exposures, with emphasis on the relationship between these factors and clinical or functional outcomes over time.
• Genetic and Acquired Disorders: Disorders affecting behavioral outcome including studies of genetic disorders (e.g., Williams Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Down Syndrome) and acquired disorders due to traumatic brain injury, early CNS impairment, prenatal exposure to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, and prenatal or postnatal exposure to lead, mercury and other toxins.
• Intervention studies: Research addressing early identification, treatment and/or rehabilitation methods for children with developmental or mental health disorders.
  

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Developmental Brain Disorders [DBD]
Pathophysiological Basis of Mental Disorders and Addictions [PMDA]
Psychosocial Development, Risk, and Prevention [PDRP]
Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging [APDA]
Neural Basis of Psychopathology, Addictions and Sleep Disorders [NPAS]