ICU Screening

The percentile score above suggests very high levels of callous-unemotional traits. A child with this score has much higher levels of callous-unemotional traits than others of their age and gender.

People with very high levels of callous-unemotional traits often have serious behavior problems and are at risk of developing psychopathy as adults.  They may frequently act in ways that are callous, antisocial, and deceitful. They are at very high risk for engaging in behaviors like manipulating, exploiting, bullying, or harming others.

Your Next Steps

Many parents and caregivers of children with callous-unemotional traits struggle to get the resources, support, and information they need. But please know you are not alone. Our organization is dedicated to helping parents and caregivers like you. We suggest that you take the following steps to help your child and your family.

First, please visit our parent FAQ page. This overview provides answers to common questions parents of children with callous-unemotional traits have.

If your child is exhibiting serious behavior problems, you may wish to join the Parents of Children with Conduct Disorder Facebook group, an online support group run by Psychopathy Is board member Lillyth Quillan. You can read about her experiences and the origins of this group in this Atlantic Monthly article. The parents in the group can be a helpful resource when it comes to finding treatment options, particularly local options.

Planning an Appointment With a Clinician

A child with callous-unemotional trait scores in this range should be evaluated by a mental health professional. 

You can ask your child’s doctor, school, or social worker for a referral. You can also review our provider list for clinicians who specialize in treating children with callous-unemotional traits and disruptive behavior disorders in your area. 

Please know that many physicians and psychologists do not have training in assessing or treating children with callous-unemotional traits or serious behavior problems. You should plan to provide them with information to help them assess your child.

First, you can complete this worksheet and provide it to your child’s medical provider during your visit. Please specifically ask that your child be evaluated for Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder (with or without Limited Prosocial Emotions). Before your visit, you can complete our online screening tool for disruptive behavior disorders (Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder), which will help to determine if your child is at risk for these disorders.

You should also review the information we provide about effective treatments for children with callous-unemotional traits and disruptive behavior disorders. Do not assume your clinician will be familiar with evidence-based treatments. 

You may need to specifically request that your clinician refer you to a therapist who can provide you with one of the forms of family-based therapy that have been shown to reduce symptoms and improve outcomes in children with callous-unemotional traits and disruptive behavior disorders.

Other Steps

Many children with disruptive behavior disorders victimize members of their household, including their parents.  If you are concerned about your child’s behavior in this regard, you can contact a domestic abuse hotline for help. You can also download this useful booklet created by mental health providers in the United Kingdom to help parents who are being victimized by their children. More resources may also be found in this review of the scientific literature on child-to-parent violence.

Please also consider joining our mailing list and following us on Twitter to receive occasional updates about new research findings and other important information.

Finally, please consider donating to our organization to help us continue helping families and individuals affected by psychopathy.