You said that your child experienced a very upsetting event. S/he has been
having some problems ever since.
You said your child was in a situation similar to one of following:
Serious automobile accident
Natural disaster (i.e. flood, fire, earthquake)
The victim or a witness of physical abuse
The victim or witness of sexual abuse
The victim or witness of violence in the home or the community
Told s/he has a life threatening illness
Some other very upsetting situation
After being in that situation, your child felt intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
Your child then acted in some of the following ways:
Felt numb or removed from the situation
Showed no emotional response at all
Seemed like s/he was "in a daze"
Acted as if the situation was not real
Acted as if the situation did not happen
Couldn't remember parts of the event
Your child also having one or more of the following difficulties:
Sees the event happen again and again in his/her mind
Has bad dreams about the event
Has a sense of re-living the experience
Is upset when shown things that remind him/her of the trauma
Goes out of his/her way to avoid things that remind him/her of the trauma
Your child may also have some of the following problems:
Difficulty sleeping
Irritability
Poor concentration
Overly aware of his/her surroundings
Easily startled or frightened
Restless or fidgety
Your child's difficulties are causing problems for him/her at school,
at home, or with friends. Children who have these types of problems often
have Acute Stress Disorder.
Adapted in part from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC) (1996) , and the American Psychiatric Association (APA)
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder: Fourth Edition (1994) .
How to Help your Child with Acute Stress Disorder:
Most children with Acute Stress Disorder need help from a doctor or
child therapist.
Invite your child to talk about it, but don't lecture
Respond to your child's questions briefly and calmly
