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Child Custody: Child custody disputes during divorce proceedings are common. Psychologists do have a positive and valid role to play.  Importantly, the psychological make-up of the child can be delineated for the judge -- emotional status, intellectual status, academic progress, etc. all of which may have a bearing on the judge's decisions. While there is no crystal ball that will tell the judge who would be the better parent, the psychologist can help the judge by identifying parents with mental disorders who would have difficulty in raising a child. In the vast majority of cases, however, both parents are equally qualified psychologically to raise their children following divorce. Thus, in the vast majority of cases, the judge is correct to place great weight on non-psychological factors in making his or her decision.  The APA guidelines on child custody evaluations can be viewed here.

Autism:  Autism is a complex neuro-biological (brain) disorder that is present at birth and lasts the lifetime.  Today, 1 in approximately 150 children are diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.  We do not know what causes Autism. Medical treatments focus on medications to assist with mood and behavioral features, but the primary treatment for the Autism itself is behavioral. With proper and consistent behavioral training, autistic patients can and do learn better communication and social skills, which are the two main deficit areas. Autism interferes with the brain's ability to learn and profit from normal exposure to language and social interaction. The disorder is first observed in early childhood, and the earlier the diagnosis is made and behavioral interventions begin the better is the prognostic outcome.  Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups, and it is four times more likely to occur in boys than girls. Autistic children often manifest rigid behavioral routines, and repetitive motor behaviors, and they fail to understand subtle social cues such as reading another's facial expressions. They are visual learners much more so than auditory learners. Symptoms can range from moderate to quite severe. Parents need to seek out a pediatrician or child psychologist who has special training and experience with autism, because it often goes undiagnosed until school begins at age five or six. Severe deficits seen in Autism will greatly interfere with learning academic subjects in school.

Asperger's Disorder:  Asperger’s Disorder is a complex neuro-behavioral disorder first manifest in childhood, and it is similar in clinical presentation to Autism Disorder, although in many respects Asperger's is less severe. Some clinicians even refer to Asperger's as High Functioning Autism and speak of a continuum of disorders referred to as Autistic Spectrum Disorders.  A key distinction between Autism and Asperger's is the much better language development observed in Asperger's children. The essential clinical features of Asperger's include qualitative deficits in social skills, restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors and interests, and qualitative differences in use of language. Importantly, language does develop without delays, however Asperger's children use language in odd and idiosyncratic ways. Intelligence develops normally, and they manifest a normal curiosity about many aspects of their world, unlike Autistic children.  In fact, Asperger's children typically develop normally during the first three years of life, unlike Autistic children.  As with Autistic children, Asperger's Disorder is often misdiagnosed by pediatricians and psychologists without special training and experience, Asperger's occurs in all races and ethnic populations, and Asperger's is more often seen in boys than girls.  Symptoms range from moderate to severe, and medical treatments are limited to medications for mood features and behavioral dyscontrol. In fact, a common misdiagnosis is a "severe case of ADHD," and this error occurs because the behavioral components are so similar. To arrive at a correct diagnosis with Autism or Asperger's a carefully selected cognitive and affective battery of psychological tests is necessary, together with a detailed clinical, social, and academic history. The primary effective treatment for Asperger's Disorder is behavioral interventions. Parents are the primary change agents, and they work under the training and supervision of skilled behavior analysts, who are usually child clinical psychologists.

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