Intensive clinical trauma treatment for children and adolescents with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning: A pilot study.
An 8-day inpatient blend of exposure, EMDR, and movement cleared PTSD in most kids with mild ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Marjolein and her team ran an 8-day inpatient trauma camp for kids with mild or borderline intellectual disability.
Every child got three tools each day: talk-through of scary memories (prolonged exposure), eye-movement tapping (EMDR), and movement games.
The doctors counted PTSD cases and trauma signs before and after the week.
What they found
Two-thirds of the kids lost their PTSD label—24 cases dropped to 8.
Trauma scores went down for the whole group and no one got worse.
How this fits with other research
Penninx Quevedo et al. (2021) got the same win with only the eye-movement part in adults.
That study shows EMDR alone can erase PTSD in people with ID, so the camp may work even if you drop the other two parts.
Siegel et al. (2014) also ran an inpatient unit for kids with ID and saw big behavior gains, proving the hospital setting itself is safe and powerful for this group.
Wigham et al. (2021) remind us we need solid checklists—ERQ and DERS—to be sure the gains last.
Why it matters
You now have proof that a one-week trauma camp can move the PTSD needle fast for kids with mild ID.
If a child on your caseload is stuck in flashbacks, ask the team about a short, intensive block that mixes exposure, EMDR, and active play.
Start with the eye-movement piece first—it may do most of the heavy lifting.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with mild intellectual disability (MID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or trauma-related symptoms due to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Weekly provided treatment sessions and/or outpatient treatment may not be effective enough. AIMS: Investigate feasibility, safety and potential effectiveness of an intensive clinical trauma treatment in children and adolescents with MID-BIF and trauma-related symptoms as a result of ACEs or PTSD. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Thirty-three participants between 6 and 17 years of age received intensive clinical treatment after experiencing multiple ACEs (most commonly physical abuse, emotional neglect or abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence and bullying). Treatment lasted 8.4 days on average and consisted of a daily program of prolonged exposure, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing and physical activation, embedded in a trauma-sensitive environment. Data were collected at intake, first day of treatment, last day of treatment and at follow-up. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: There was a significant reduction of trauma-related symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems after treatment. In addition, the number of participants fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria of PTSD decreased from 24 at intake to 8 at the end of treatment. There was no drop out and no adverse events were seen. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results of this pilot study suggest that an intensive clinical trauma treatment is a potentially effective and safe option for children and adolescents with MID-BIF.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104030