The exploration of child psychology gained significant traction only in the mid 1900s with the formal establishment of child psychiatry as an independent domain within the broader field. This marked a transformative journey in scientific exploration, reshaping our understanding of child psychology. Interest in developmental psychopathology was ignited by pioneering figures such as psychoanalysts Melanie Klein and Anna Freud, as well as Piaget's ground-breaking work on cognitive development, Vygotsky's contributions to psychosocial development, and Bowlby's influential attachment framework.

While the field of child psychology is still in its infancy, various models have emerged over the years. These include behavioural models focusing on infant reactions, psychodynamic approaches emphasising unconscious psychological processes, and psychobiological perspectives delving into the interplay between a child's environment and biological mechanisms which shape emotions and behaviours.

Mental health difficulties in children range from emotional and behavioural disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD, to more complex neurodivergent disorders like autism and epilepsy. Symptoms of mental health disorders in children can include difficulties with how a child plays, learns, speaks and acts, as well as how the child handles their emotions.

The future of developmental psychology will no longer see children as merely recipients of knowledge and intervention programmes adults have designed for them. Instead, children should be included in the making of research and indeed contemporary sociologists and anthropologists have achieved significant outcomes in making research with children [Cowie & Jennifer, 2017]