Esbjørn; Barbara, Hoff et al. (The University of Copenhagen). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Children Suffering from Anxiety Problems. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift, 2010, Vol. 43,3,181 – 188. – The authors are part of The Copenhagen Child Anxiety Project which is a research and treatment project for children btw. 7 – 12 suffering from different types of anxiety. Short term therapy has been proven generally effective in these cases, especially with separation anxiety and/or specific problems. It is suggested that school psychologists should adopt this kind of treatment because they cover all municipalities and because these types of problems tend to be overlooked. – Bjørn Glæsel.
Rolighed, Birthe (Edcational psychologist). Children with Myelomeningocele. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift, 2010, Vol. 43, 3, 189 – 200. – MNC is a congenital deformity of the spine that may affect many motor functions (trunk, hips, knees etc.). MNC is at the same time a multifaceted neuropsychological condition with complex neurological consequences in the mental, perceptual, memory, and attention areas. Because of the many individual differences, it is recommended always to engage in cross-sectional cooperation. – Bjørn Glæsel.
Bek-Pedersen, Dorte & Hemager, Nicoline (Psychologists). Nonverbal Learning Difficulties – A Critical View of the Concept and Its Clinical Uses. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift, 2010, Vol. 43, 3, 201 – 221. – Since the Johnson & Myklebust article from 1967, NLD has been studied and presented as a valuable new diagnostic category. In this article the authors have performed an extensive analysis and evaluation of many studies of NLD as such and its hypothesized connections with other diagnoses. Their conclusions are that the validity of NLD is weak and inconsistent, that it has little prognostic value, and that very few of the hypotheses have been founded by research. – Bjørn Glæsel.
Mortensen; Karen, Vibeke (Professor at the University of Aalborg). Psychoanalytic Child Therapy. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift, 2010, Vol. 43, 3, 222 – 232. – During its 100 years of existence, PCT has become a well established method, suited to psychical disturbances of many degrees of severity of children and youngsters. Its main component is the insight of the therapist in the clients’ inner life and the impart of this to the child. As documented by Carr a.o. all major therapeutic methods have been found effective. PCT is inexpensive, and the author finds it strange and deplorable that it is shown little interest in Denmark, while it is much more used in Sweden, Germany, and England. It should be discussed whether Danish resources are being spent optimally. – Bjørn Glæsel.
Thornberg; Lone, Aggernæs (Psychologist). The Child Interview – A Demanding Right but not Necessarily an Unpleasant Duty. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift, 2010, Vol. 43, 3, 233 – 240. – A new Danish law dealing with parent responsibility was instituted in 2007. A major aspect is that the perspective of the child is to be weighted heavily in all cases of child custody, contact with parents in cases of divorce etc. Several dilemmas are discussed, and it is recommended that not only should these interviews be conducted with the utmost care; they should always also be supplemented by other means of gaining insight in the perspective of the child. – Bjørn Glæsel.
Sjøvoll, Jarle (Professor at Høgskolen in Bodø, Norway). Children who Challenge the Context of Teaching. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift, 2010, Vol. 43, 3, 241 – 255. – Based on his own doctoral dissertation, the author discusses whether individual needs of the pupils – requiring individualized teaching – are seen as individual, personal characteristics, or whether they are seen as arising from the meeting of the pupil with surroundings demanding too much. 103 teachers were asked about their understanding of individual needs, their views of the underlying reasons for individual needs, and their opinions about what kind of remediation should be used. Table 1 (p. 245) shows the distribution with its heavy emphasis (65,8 %) on individual factors and much less on contextual factors. There is, however, a marked difference when the measures to be taken are studied – only 15,7 % is directed solely at the pupil. – Bjørn Glæsel.