ABSTRACT
The psychological functions that are compromised in psychotic conditions have normative developmental lines in childhood. The DSM-5 does not have a separate section cataloging psychotic disorders in children and adolescents. Core symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and negative symptoms can be found in younger patients, are also found among adults. Developmental forces are in flux during childhood, making it impossible to determine whether a child is psychotic without first considering the child's level of cognitive and linguistic development. The onset of schizophrenia typically occurs between ages 16 and 30, with the rate increasing during adolescence and peaking before the age of 30. Early adolescence is a time when subtle alterations in drive, affect, speech, perception, and thought may manifest, leading to vegetative symptoms and difficulties with peers and school. Arboleda & Holzman demonstrated that psychotically vulnerable children and adolescents had significantly elevated scores on the Thought Disorder Index (TDI).
