AN expert on trauma has said screening children as young as four for psychopathic traits "misses the point" - after criticising the psychologist who assessed child killer Aaron Campbell.

Dr Suzanne Zeedyk responded to a controversial opinion piece last week by Dr John Marshall, a clinical and forensic psychologist who assessed 16-year-old murderer Aaron Campbell - who murdered six-year-old Alesha MacPhail.

Forensic scientist Dr Marshall, the head of psychological services at the State Hospital, Carstairs, said children whose behaviour was causing problems should be screened for "psychopathic traits", including cruelty to other children and animals.

READ MORE: Aaron Campbell's lawyer Brian McConnachie speaks out for first time

Dr Zeedyk, a leading psychologist, said in response there was a cultural tendency to search out "monsters" rather than getting to grips with ongoing childhood development.

She believes this leaves children at a greater risk of harm and the real concern was that Scottish culture did not recognise sufficiently the importance of a secure relationship for children.

Campbell, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 27 years of a life sentence, has lodged an appeal against his sentence.

The 16-year-old was described by judge Lord Matthews as a "cold callous, calculating, remorseless and dangerous individual".

READ MORE: Alesha MacPhail's killer appealing sentence

Dr Zeedyk said: "In his statement, Dr Marshall spoke of the importance of warm relationships for young children's development, and he talked of the impact of early intervention.

"That puts [us] on the same page. We are all speaking to the fundamental importance of relationships to human development.

"I know, though, that Dr Marshall spoke in an exasperated tone of the ACEs movement.

"He thinks that the 'gods of ACEs' are leading professionals [especially social workers] to focus on traumatic events in children's lives at the expense of focusing on genetic factors.

"He is essentially situating the issue within the age-old framework of nature versus nurture."

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Dr Zeedyk is at the forefront of a grassroots movement looking into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that grew out of a seminal scientific US study in the 1990s.

The study found that as the number of ACEs increased, so did the incidence of depression, alcoholism, promiscuity and suicide attempts in later life.

The idea is based on a theory that trauma endured during childhood was the main determinant for the health and wellbeing of adults.

The concept of ACEs has been widely adopted by the Scottish Government, teachers, psychologists and Police Scotland.