ABSTRACT
There has been much advancement of the field of dissociation since the first articles about child dissociation appeared in the professional literature over four decades ago. This chapter summarizes our developing knowledge in this still fledgling field. Research documenting the effect of early trauma on brain development has made its global effects more understandable to clinicians across many specialties and levels of expertise. In addition, the availability of standardized instruments has led to increasing recognition of dissociation in numerous populations of children and adolescents. We show how a variety of theoretical viewpoints provide insight into how dissociation may develop in severely traumatized children. We also review the types of symptoms found in different age groups and discuss some of the many diagnostic tools and treatment strategies available. Although children with dissociative disorders remain under-recognized and underserved, we anticipate that the study of dissociative disorders in children and adolescence will increasingly move into the mainstream. Early detection of emerging dissociative symptoms in young children and prompt treatment by clinicians skilled in addressing these children’s unique needs can interrupt the development of the entrenched dissociative states often found in adults.
