Session Two - Dissociative Symptomatology in Children and Adolescents Across Development

March 19, 2025

Session Description
Identifying the presence of developmental trauma and dissociation is essential to implementing effective treatment. Developmental trauma frequently results in complex presentations. Symptoms of developmental trauma and dissociation overlap with and occur alongside symptoms of other disorders. This may result in misdiagnoses, missed diagnoses, and diagnostic overshadowing that can delay effective treatment and contribute to prolonged suffering. This module outlines the developmental sequelae associated with complex trauma during childhood, including subsequent neurobiological impacts, common mental health symptoms, and behavioral presentations. Emphasis is placed on identifying dissociative responses in young clients.  

Readings

  1. Silberg, J. (2021). Trauma and Its Effects. In The Child Survivor: Healing Developmental Trauma and Dissociation (pp. 1–21). Routledge.
  2. Hawton, Z. (2022). The Price that Society and the Individual Victim Pays. In V. Sinason & R. Potgieter Marks (Eds.), Treating Children with Dissociative Disorders: Attachment, Trauma, Theory and Practice (pp. 213–236). Routledge.
  3. Choi, K. R., Ford, J. D., Briggs, E. C., Munro-Kramer, M. L., Graham-Bermann, S. A., & Seng, J. S. (2019). Relationships Between Maltreatment, Posttraumatic Symptomatology, and the Dissociative Subtype of PTSD Among Adolescents. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 20(2), 212–227.
  4. Cintron, G., Salloum, A., Blair-Andrews, Z., & Storch, E. A. (2017). Parents’ descriptions of young children’s dissociative reactions after trauma. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 19(5), 500–513.
  5. Ford, J. D., Spinazzola, J., & van der Kolk, B. (2021). Psychiatric comorbidity of developmental trauma disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder: findings from the DTD field trial replication (DTDFT-R). European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1929028.

Audio recording

  1. Ford, J. & Zelechski, A. (Hosts). (2021, November 17). Understanding Dissociation (No. 5) [Audio podcast episode]. In Roadmap to Resilience: Supporting Children Experiencing Stress and Trauma. 

Timed Outline
30 Minutes: Discussion of Readings 1 & 2 – The effects of developmental trauma on development
30 Minutes: Discussion of Audio recording 1 – Understanding dissociation
30 Minutes: Discussion of Reading 3 and 4 – Identifying dissociation in children and adolescents
30 Minutes: Discussion of Reading 5 – Psychiatric comorbidities of developmental trauma
30 Minutes: Discussion of case materials applying the above readings to disguised cases
 

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Define developmental trauma and discuss three ways in which it disrupts healthy development
  • Describe the adaptive function of dissociation during traumatic experiences
  • Identify five behavioral manifestations of dissociation post-trauma
  • Discuss three ways in which symptoms of developmental trauma may mimic or overlap with those of other mental and behavioral disorders  
     
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 2.50 APA
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • 2.50 ASWB ACE
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2.50 continuing education credits.
  • 2.50 ISSTD Certificate Program
    This program is eligible for 2.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Course opens: 
11/01/2024
Course expires: 
07/31/2025
Event starts: 
03/19/2025 - 5:30pm EDT
Event ends: 
03/19/2025 - 8:00pm EDT
Part of: 
The Assessment and Treatment of Traumatic Dissociation in Children and Adolescents | Hosey 2025
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Available Credit

  • 2.50 APA
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • 2.50 ASWB ACE
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2.50 continuing education credits.
  • 2.50 ISSTD Certificate Program
    This program is eligible for 2.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
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