Abstract
This webinar introduces participants to the internal world and diagnostic complexities of children and teens with dissociative disorders. These complex youth, perplexed by their own experiences, yearn to be “seen” and understood. Caregivers and other adults, without knowledge of dissociation or the inner world of the child, are confused and frustrated by dysregulation in dissociative children and teens; they experience the ever-shifting moods, behaviors, and relationship ruptures as nearly impossible to manage.

Symptoms of dissociation are easily misinterpreted even by well-meaning adults as oppositionality, defiance, and manipulation, or are misdiagnosed by clinicians as psychosis, extreme mood disorders, emerging personality disorders, OCD, factitious disorder, or other severe conditions. Children with dissociative disorders often present with a higher number of past diagnoses, multiple unsuccessful medication and therapy treatment trials, and multiple placements. In desperation, the well-meaning, but limited, child serving system may unnecessarily hospitalize or incarcerate children and youth with the intended goal of safety. Instead, these decisions can cause unintended consequences, further traumatizing young lives while being no closer to conceptualizing the root causes of symptomatic behavior and necessary treatment for complex trauma and dissociation.

This webinar highlights signs, symptoms, proposed etiology, and differential diagnoses of childhood dissociative disorders through case examples from the speaker’s clinical experience working mostly with foster children in a child welfare specialty clinic at Vanderbilt University and within a foster care organization. All cases presented will highlight young clients who were initially wrongly diagnosed due to dissociation not being considered.

Learners will see how screening tools such as the Child Dissociative Checklist, the Adolescent Experiences Scale, the Imaginary Friends Questionnaire and the Somatoform Disorders Questionnaire assist diagnosis, especially when paired with nuanced follow up questions and collateral information. Art techniques that unveil the inner world of the child are presented such that participants can easily replicate these techniques when they leave.

Finally, handouts of clinician friendly tools and techniques give attendees immediate resources to take back to their work in order to aid discovery and understanding of dissociative symptoms in their young clients. Attendees will also learn where to access the most up- to- date information on assessing and treating childhood dissociation.

Potential to Distress: Yes