ABPN CAP study plan

Build a one-page differential grid covering at least 12 childhood-onset conditions (ADHD, ODD, conduct disorder, separation anxiety, GAD, social anxiety, OCD, PTSD, major depressive disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia-spectrum), listing the single most discriminating feature, typical age of onset, and first-line treatment for each row

Recite from memory the DSM-5-TR criteria sets for ADHD, ODD, separation anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder, then check each against the manual and correct every error in red

Sort the disruptive-behavior and mood chapters by how often they appear in vignette form, and rank the 10 highest-yield diagnostic traps (for example, irritability as a cross-disorder symptom, ADHD versus bipolar overlap, trauma masquerading as ADHD)

Write 30 original vignette-style stems of your own on anxiety, OCD, and mood disorders, and answer them without notes

Summarize the first-line and second-line psychopharmacology for each of the 12 conditions in your Week 1 grid, including starting dose, titration range, maximum dose, and boxed or major warnings

Tabulate the adverse-effect signatures of stimulants, alpha-2 agonists, SSRIs, atypical antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers in a single side-by-side table, cross-referencing each against the agent that most commonly causes it

Complete a 60-item timed block on psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, and trauma-related conditions, then write a one-line error cause for every missed item

Explain aloud, in under three minutes each, the reasoning behind treating preschool ADHD with behavioral parent training before medication

Construct a monitoring schedule for metabolic, cardiac, prolactin, and movement adverse effects of antipsychotics, mapping each parameter to the interval at which it should be checked

Differentiate the neurologic mimics that most often present as psychiatric symptoms in children (absence seizures, complex partial seizures, tics versus stereotypies, delirium, autoimmune encephalitis, pediatric stroke), listing the single feature that should trigger each workup

Outline the medical evaluation of first-episode psychosis in an adolescent, ordering the tests you would actually obtain and justifying each

Work through 20 pharmacology calculation and dosing-safety items, including weight-based dosing and drug-interaction scenarios

Assemble a structured interview template that covers presenting concern, developmental history, family and school functioning, trauma screening, and risk assessment, then use it to write two full sample reports

Practice formulating a case in the biopsychosocial style, converting each of your two sample reports into a five-sentence formulation with differential, risk, and plan

Assess developmental milestones in motor, language, social, and cognitive domains from birth to age 5 and build a timeline sheet marking the ages at which deviation warrants referral

Distinguish normal developmental variation from pathology in at least 10 scenarios (toe-walking, late talking, parallel play, separation distress, imaginary companions, masturbation, aggression, sleep onset delay, school refusal, gender-nonconforming play)

Map attachment theory, temperament, and developmental psychopathology onto clinical presentations, writing a two-sentence clinical implication for each of the four attachment patterns

Describe how autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and learning disorders alter the expected presentation of common psychiatric comorbidity, producing a short adjustment guide for each

Compare the major psychotherapy modalities used with children and adolescents (CBT, behavioral parent training, interpersonal therapy, psychodynamic, family therapy, motivational interviewing), stating the age range and primary indication for each

Rehearse three parent-feedback scripts in which you deliver a diagnosis, discuss medication, and address a family's resistance

Analyze family and systems dynamics, including divorce, blended families, foster care, and school-based services, by writing a systemic formulation for four contrasting family scenarios

Draft a consultation-liaison plan for the three most common pediatric requests (agitation in the emergency department, refusal of care, somatization), naming your first three questions in each

Explain the ethical and legal boundaries that govern adolescent care, including confidentiality, consent and assent, mandated reporting, and involuntary commitment, and apply them to six brief scenarios

Re-explain the antipsychotic monitoring protocol from Week 3 in your own words, checking that it remains accurate

Diagnose your weakest two domains by reviewing every error logged in Weeks 1 through 6 and categorizing each by cause (knowledge gap, misread stem, premature closure, over-reliance on one feature)

Complete 120 mixed-domain items in four timed 30-item blocks and rescore, tracking whether your accuracy on previously missed topics improves

Teach back, without notes, the five topics you have missed most often, recording a short spoken explanation of each

Rebuild any study sheet that proved inaccurate or incomplete during recall

Sit two full-length timed practice examinations under exam-day conditions, including breaks and no reference materials

Review every incorrect and guessed-correct item from both examinations and write the rule you will apply next time

Drill the five weakest topics from Week 7 one final time, checking that each teach-back now holds up

Rehearse the practical exam-day routine: pacing targets per block, flagging strategy, and a plan for when to guess versus move on