Lesson 1Developmental history: prenatal, perinatal, milestones, school progress, and standardized developmental screening toolsThis part explains how to get full details on a child's growth from before birth, birth time, key steps like walking and talking, school work, and using simple tests to check development during mental health checks in South Sudanese settings.
Prenatal and perinatal risk factorsMotor, language, and social milestonesEarly temperament and attachment patternsSchool readiness and academic progressDevelopmental screening tools in practiceLesson 2Family, social, and environmental history: family psychiatric history, separation/divorce impact, parenting practices, socioeconomic stressors, ACEs and trauma screeningThis part looks at family, friends, and surroundings, including family mental health past, effects of parents splitting, how parents raise kids, money and life stresses, bad childhood events, and checking for trauma that affect risks, strength, and care plans in South Sudan.
Family psychiatric and medical historyParenting styles and family dynamicsImpact of separation, divorce, and lossSocioeconomic and cultural stressorsACEs, trauma screening, and resilienceLesson 3Mental status exam for children: observation techniques, attention/impulse testing, affect, thought content, speech, play-based assessment methodsThis part describes checking a child's mind through watching, building trust, using play, testing focus and control, feelings, thoughts, talking, and age-fit ways to check understanding, choices, and dangers in different South Sudanese clinics.
Setting up a child-friendly interviewObserving appearance and behaviorAssessing mood, affect, and play themesEvaluating thought content and perceptionAttention, impulse control, and cognitionLesson 4Documentation and diagnostic coding: writing assessment summaries, problem lists, provisional vs definitive diagnoses, and DSM-5-TR coding nuancesThis part shows how to turn check-up info into clear written reports, list problems, tell temporary from sure diagnoses, and use DSM-5-TR codes right in child mental health work in South Sudan.
Structuring pediatric assessment summariesPrioritizing and updating problem listsProvisional versus definitive diagnosesDSM-5-TR coding rules in childrenCommon pediatric coding pitfallsLesson 5School-based information: interpreting report cards, IEP/504 plans, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and academic/learning disorder screening testsThis part centers on getting and understanding school info like marks, special plans, watching class, talking to teachers, and tests for learning issues that harm school and social life in South Sudanese schools.
Reading report cards and commentsUnderstanding IEP and 504 documentationPlanning classroom observationsInterviewing teachers and school staffScreening for learning and attention issuesLesson 6Medical and neurological review: reviewing past medical records, medication history, sensory/hearing/vision, sleep disorders, and red flags for organic causesThis part covers full body and brain checks in child mental health, looking at old records, past medicines, senses like hearing and sight, sleep problems, and warning signs for body, gene, or brain causes of mental issues in South Sudan.
Reviewing pediatric medical recordsMedication history and psychotropic effectsScreening vision, hearing, and sensory issuesSleep disorders and behavioral overlapRed flags for organic or neurological causesLesson 7Use of standardized diagnostic interviews: Kiddie-SADS, DISC, and semi-structured approaches for DSM-5-TR diagnosesThis part reviews main standard talk-based checks for young people, focusing on Kiddie-SADS, DISC, and half-guided ways, with tips on choosing, doing, scoring, and using results for DSM-5-TR diagnoses in South Sudanese practice.
Overview of structured and semi-structured toolsKiddie-SADS indications and proceduresDISC administration and scoring basicsSemi-structured DSM-5-TR interview skillsIntegrating interview data with clinical judgmentLesson 8Detailed psychiatric history: onset/course of symptoms, situational triggers, temporal patterns, sleep, appetite, mood, anxiety, trauma exposure, substance use screeningThis part tells how to collect detailed mental health history from kids, covering start and flow of signs, causes, sleep and eating, feelings and worry, trauma, and fit checks for substance use, keeping safety and trust in South Sudan.
Clarifying onset and symptom timelineSituational triggers and temporal patternsSleep, appetite, and somatic complaintsMood, anxiety, and trauma questioningSubstance use and risk behavior screeningLesson 9Formulation skills: constructing biopsychosocial and developmental formulations linking symptoms to context, stressors, and comorbiditiesThis part teaches building body-mind-social and growth-based explanations that connect signs to nature, ties, stresses, and other issues, using them to guide diagnosis, risk check, and team care planning in South Sudanese contexts.
Core components of a good formulationDevelopmental pathways and risk factorsLinking symptoms to context and stressorsIncorporating comorbidity and complexityUsing formulations to guide treatmentLesson 10Collateral information collection: structured interviews and rating scales for parents, teachers, and child (eg, SNAP-IV, Vanderbilt, Conners, RCADS)This part outlines good ways to get side info from parents, teachers, and kids using guided talks and score sheets like SNAP-IV, Vanderbilt, Conners, RCADS, and fixing different reports in South Sudan.
Choosing informants across settingsParent and caregiver interview structureTeacher report forms and interviewsUsing SNAP-IV, Vanderbilt, and ConnersUsing RCADS and anxiety–mood scales
