SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT AND CRISIS-INTERVENTION WITH KINDERGARTEN-CHILDREN FOLLOWING THE NEW-YORK-WORLD-TRADE-CENTER BOMBING

The situation of 17 kindergarten children trapped in an elevator for f ive hours following the bombing of the New York World Trade Center off ers the opportunity to discuss appropriate assessment and crisis inter vention strategies after a disaster. A model of a tripartite crisis as sessment is presented that emphasizes the interacting influences of (1 ) the crisis situation itself, (2) factors intrinsic to the individual and (3) factors in the support system. A school-based crisis interven tion plan emphasizes both immediate and follow-up activities, targetin g the various individuals affected by the crisis event, and therefore vulnerable to the formation of symptoms, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The preventive features of such a plan are highlight ed.