Child and adolescent psychology is a fascinating field that provides insights into the behaviour of children and teens, which can be applied to real life. This collaborative study of child and adolescent psychology is ideal professional development for anyone working with young children or teens in education, health care or counselling roles.
The Advanced Certificate of Child and Adolescent Psychology is an online professional development course that will introduce you to child and adolescent psychology theories, principles, and practices.
In this dual child psychology course, you’ll learn about physical, cognitive, emotional, moral, sexual and language development, socialisation, and the development of empathy, self-awareness, perspective.
You’ll also discover the impact of family structure, peers and educational settings on young people and how to identify life crises and the stages of transition into adulthood.
On completion of this course, you will be able to identify issues unique to children and teenagers, distinguish between typical and problem behaviours and learn how to respond to and support young people.
Course Structure
Unit - Child Psychology
Unit 1 – Introduction to Child Psychology
- Levels of development: nature or nurture, isolating hereditary characteristics
- Cause versus correlation
- Continuity versus discontinuity
- Cross sectional and longitudinal studies
- Reliability of verbal reports
Unit 2 -The Newborn Infant
- Theories of newborn psychology
- Temperament – nature or nurture
- Parental influences
- The perinatal environment
- Parental experiences
- Fathers involvement
- Emotional disturbances during pregnancy
Unit 3 – States and Senses of the Infant
- Sensory discrimination (sound, smell and visual)
- Infant states (sleep, inactivity, waking, crying)
- Habituation
- Crying
- Soothing a distressed baby
- Depth perception
- Oral sensitivity
Unit 4 – Learning
- How children learn
- Habituation
- Vicarious learning
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Reinforcement
- Consequences and timing
- Punishment problems
- Learning control
Unit 5 – Emotions and Socialisation
- Emotions in early childhood
- Origins of smiling
- Fear
- Emotional attachment
- Freudian approach
- Bowlby’s approach
- Harlow’s approach
- Responding to babies
- Role of cognition in attachment formation
- Day care
Unit 6 – Cognitive Development
- Piaget’s theory and cognitive structural development
- The importance of play
- Implications of Piaget’s theories
- Cognitive processing theory
- Memory capacity
- Memory improvement strategies
- Attentional capacity
Unit 7 – Language Development
- Is language ability learned or innate?
- Social learning approach
- Hypothesis testing approach
- How speech develops
- Helping babies talk
- One to two years
- From age 3
- Why things sometimes go wrong
Unit 8 – Intelligence
- Interaction of nature and nurture
- The nature of intelligence
- Measuring intelligence
- Parental influences on intelligence
- Testing intelligence as a tool
Unit 9 – Socialisation … Part A
- Social cognition
- self-awareness
- awareness of others
- Empathy
- Taking turns
- Having a point of view/perspective
- Social scripts
- Pretend play
Unit 10 – Morality
- Freud’s approach to moral development
- Piaget’s approach
- Kohlberg’s approach
- Pre-conventional level
- Conventional level
- Post conventional level
- Raising morally mature children
- Pro-social or altruistic behaviour
- Aggressive behaviour
- Age-related changes in aggression
Unit 11 – Sexuality
- Freud’s psychosexual stages of development
- Gender and role identity
- Sexual behaviour
- Child abuse
- Stranger abusers
Unit 12 – Socialisation … Part B
- Family influence
- Discipline
- Family structures
- Sibling influence
- School influence
- Praise
- Peer influence
- Acceptance and rejection
Unit - Adolescent Psychology
Unit 1 – Introduction
- Theories of human development
- What is adolescence?
- Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
- The stages of Piaget’s theories
- Moral development
- Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, stages
Unit 2 – Life Crises
- Life crisis
- Problems
- Puberty
- Attachment theory
- Internalised and externalised problems
- Types of problems experienced by adolescents
Unit 3 – Physical Development
- Puberty in females
- Puberty in males
- Hormones
- Physical activity
- Obesity
Unit 4 – Intellectual Development
- Piaget’s formal operations stage
- School problems
Unit 5 – Emotional Development
- Freud’s theories
- Emotional problems
- Teenagers and grief
- Eating problems
- Depression
- Emotional problems
- Typical childhood responses to grief
- Supporting a grieving child
Unit 6 – Sexuality
- Acquisition of gender identity and social role identity
- Vicarious learning and sexual identity
- Gender dysphoria
- Curiosity
- Sex
- Sexual behaviour
- Masturbation
- Sexuality and nudity
- Answering questions
Unit 7 – Social Development
- Family influence
- Types of parenting
- Denigration of parents
Unit 8 – Moral Development
- Piaget’s theory of moral development
- Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning
Unit 9 – Delinquency and Crime
- Juvenile delinquency
- Pathways to delinquency
- Gangs
- Crimes more likely in adolescence
- Behaviour problems
- Drugs, solvents and alcohol
- Child abuse
- Triggers of abuse
- Stranger abuse
- How to deal with deviance
Unit 10 – Adolescents and the Transition to Adulthood
- Erikson’s later stages
- The transition to adulthood
Study Hours
Estimated duration 100 hours
Course Delivery and Start
Start anytime, self-paced and 100% online
Assessment
Assessment will be comprised of written exercises, including short-answer questions, reflective tasks, short reports and/or projects. There are no examinations or due dates for assessment. As a result, you can complete training in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.
Testimonials
About Us
Graduation
A Certificate of Attainment and Statement of Results will be issued upon successful completion of this course.
How to Enrol
Enrol Online: Enrol Now
Enrol via Live Chat (Business Hours)
Enrol via Telephone 1300 76 2221 (Business Hours)
Enrol via Purchase Order/Tax Invoice
Enrolling Multiple Staff?
To enrol multiple staff, please complete the Employer Enrolment Form. We’ll be in touch within 60 minutes during business hours!
Payment Options
Visa, Mastercard, BPAY and EFT/Direct Deposit. Please allow 1-2 Business days for processing for EFT and BPAY.
Course FAQs
Why Choose Australian Online Courses?
- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
- Improve your employment opportunities;
- Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
- All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
- Unlimited tutor support via email;
- We offer twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
Are there any entry requirements or pre-requisites?
There are no course or subject pre-requisites for entry into our programs. However, our professional development programs are generally intended for people over the age of 18. In some circumstances, enrolments from younger people may be considered. Please complete the AOC Parent Guardian Consent Form prior to enrolling and submit here.
Are there any computer requirements?
To study online with Australian Online Courses you will need a computer (desktop PC/laptop) running a current/updated operating system with reliable high-speed internet access. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser to access your course.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.
BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.
Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.
Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.
How is this course delivered?
This course is delivered online via our easy-to-navigate Learning Management System (LMS), where you will discover interactive online learning/written content, resources and assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our LMS and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email only during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.
Career Pathways
Future growth
Strong
Unemployment
Low
Professional Development for:-
- Education
- Health care
- Childcare
- Counselling
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