Child Psychology Certificate

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Program Outline

Instruction Sets
Your program consists of four Instruction Sets designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you’ll use as a parent or child care giver.

Here's how it works
Your first Instruction Set will be sent immediately after your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with.

Note: Graduates of this program earn 6 college credits toward an A.S. degree in Early Childhood Education at Penn Foster College.

Here is an overview of what you’ll learn and the order in which you will receive your lessons:

Instruction Set 1

Learning Strategies
Discusses the advantages of learning at home, types of study materials, types of examinations, accessing and using the features of our website, determining what kind of learner you are, establishing a study schedule, and preparing for and taking examinations.


Child Development
Introduces students to a variety of theories about growth and development and describes the principles of this growth and development as it occurs in children from infancy to 12 years of age.

Instruction Set 2

Essentials of Psychology
Introduces students to the relationship between biology and behavior. Includes such topics as consciousness, memory, thought and language, intelligence, personality and gender, stress, and community influences.


Textbook: Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior

Instruction Set 3

Child Psychology
Presents a variety of theoretical viewpoints to provide students with a well-balanced view of a child’s developmental process from birth through adolescence. Includes current studies and research that provide an understanding of the principal topics of child psychology as well as recent trends in socially relevant problem areas.


Textbook: Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development

Instruction Set 4

Abnormal Child Psychology
Compares normal and abnormal child development. Introduces specific disorders, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, mental retardation, and learning disabilities. Concludes with an examination of substance abuse, eating disorders, and child maltreatment.


Textbook: Abnormal Child Psychology

 

Online Library and Librarian
Students in Penn Foster Career School have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and assist students in research activities during their studies with Penn Foster Career School.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.

This program is designed for enrichment purposes only. It does not have a direct vocational outcome. Students who complete this program are not qualified to function as child psychologists and cannot market themselves as mental health professionals.

A High School Diploma or GED is required to enroll in this program.