Childhood Mental Health Disorders Understanding the role that child development plays in childhood mental health disorder will help parents understand how it is diagnosed. Child development provides a standard that the parent and the professional can use to assess and diagnose a childhood mental health disorder. Although child development differs from one child to the next, all children go through similar stages. One child may excel in the area of social skills and lack physical grace. Another child may have superior coordination but poor academic proficiency.
Development is a fluid process, carrying the child along at different paces.
Usually, no outside help is needed in these cases. That is where parents and professional, working together, come in. Another developmental issue occurs when a disorder, in one area of a child's development, affects other areas of functioning, in the child's development. It is important that the mental health professional pays attention to developmental variations and helps the parent understand how one area can affect another. Children have a natural curiosity and an even wider capacity for growth and change.