6 days ago
The 3 signs your toddler might be on the path to becoming a psychopath when they're older, according to a professor
A PROFESSOR has revealed the three signs that your toddler could be on the road to becoming a psychopath.
New research shows that this personality disorder can in fact be detected in children, and the signs that parents should look out for.
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Research reveals children can have these traits from a 'very young age'
According to the studies conducted by Professor Essi Viding and her colleagues at University College London, you can detect behavioural traits that can increase a person's risk of developing psychopathy in children as young as three or four years old.
The professor of developmental psychopathology told The Telegraph: "You do not get a full-blown personality disorder as a birthday present when you turn 18, so there are clearly children who have these sorts of traits from a very young age."
She also emphasised that there is a difference between children who are badly behaved and those who exhibit what is known as conduct disorder with callous-unemotional (CU) traits.
These traits are characterised by a lack of empathy and muted emotions.
Professor Viding, 50, explained that you can identify children who are less affected by other people's sadness or who have a harder time regulating their emotions from as early as three years old.
She added: "Of course, identifying these children early on doesn't mean you can definitively predict that someone will become an adult psychopath, but these are the children likely to be at an increased risk compared with their peers."
She estimates that, among children, around one per cent of the wider population have the combination of conduct disorder with CU traits.
The key signs to look out for
Prof Viding identified three key areas where children with conduct disorder and associated CU traits are wired differently to others their age.
The first is a lack of "emotional arousal" to another's upset or distress.
She explained the scenario of your child taking another's toy.
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The typical response after being told off by their parent is for the child to feel bad, so they don't want to behave that way again, but this is not the reaction among children possessing psychopathic traits.
The second is that the child struggled to make connections between doing something wrong and suffering the consequences.
The third is that they don't get the same satisfaction from doing or saying things that make others happy, and instead, typically choose to put themselves first.
Prof Viding added: "Children with high levels of CU traits don't seem to get the same reward out of pleasing others."
Research on CU traits found in young children
In her 25 years of experience, there is little she hasn't seen.
Her previous studies and research has led Prof Viding to argue the case that no one is born a psychopath, but there are people whose genetic makeup puts them at higher risk than others of possessing such tendencies.
The Telegraph also reported that researches at Cambridge University found that children whose hearts beat faster at the age of eight are at lower risk of developing adult psychopathy.
However, it is not all bad news, as Prof Viding emphasised that treatment is effective and interventions can work.
By adapting parenting styles, learning to how to help a child to regulate their reactions and emotions, and seeking ongoing professional help, you can prevent these traits from worsening.
While treatment can significantly help, Prof Viding explained that unfortunately this is easier said than done.
She described getting funding to help these children as an uphill battle.
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