BEHAVIORAL-ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF PTSD IN PREPUBERTAL CHILDREN -ATTENTION TO DEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS AND INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES IN THE CASE-STUDY OF A FAMILY

This paper describes the assessment and treatment of a family of 4 pre pubescent children following the experience of a traumatic attack of t he 6-year-old girl by a dog. The two eldest children received diagnose s of posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD), and in addition, the 6-year- old victim developed a simple phobia of medical procedures. The younge r children also developed posttraumatic reactions specific to their de velopmental level. Because the traumatic experience was witnessed by a ll of the children in the same family, their comprehensive data provid e a cross-sectional illustration of the developmental expression of po sttraumatic reactions in very young children. Established behavioral t reatment approaches for PTSD were adapted to be developmentally approp riate and involved individual hierarchical, imaginal, and in-vivo expo sure, coupled with joint sessions utilizing the older sibling as a beh avioral model for his sister's simple phobia. This family case study i llustrates the use of behavioral assessment and treatment methods in a clinic setting.