Effects of trauma on children: occupational therapy to support recovery

✍ Scribed by Janis Davis

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 116 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0966-7903
• DOI: 10.1002/oti.93

✦ Synopsis

Each year millions of the world's children witness, are victimized by or participate in traumatic events, placing them at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder. If this disorder is left untreated, a child's developmental trajectory can be compromised. Occupational therapists are in key positions to recognize the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress in children that interfere with functioning. Expressive therapies, long used in occupational therapy practice, are well suited to help children achieve an adaptive response to trauma. Two brief case studies are presented, describing the application of occupational therapy using expressive media with children who experienced post-traumatic stress disorders. The results of this preliminary investigation suggest that occupational therapists working in early intervention programmes can be helpful in identifying children in need and in providing treatment based on expressive therapies, stress management and cognitive-behavioural modalities. Further research is recommended to examine the efficacy of different occupational therapy frames of reference in treating children with post-traumatic stress disorder.