The timing of exposure in clinic-based treatment for childhood anxiety disorders.

The present study examines treatment length and timing of exposure from two child anxiety disorders clinics. Data regarding symptoms and treatment characteristics for 28 youth were prospectively obtained through self, parent, and therapist report at each session. Information regarding length of treatment, timing of exposure initiation, and drop-out rates were compared with those obtained through efficacy and effectiveness trials of manualized treatment for anxious youth. Findings from the authors' clinical data revealed significantly shorter treatment duration with exposures implemented sooner than in the previous studies. Dropout rates were significantly higher than in the efficacy trial but comparable with the effectiveness trial. Outcome data from a subset of eight patients revealed large effect sizes. These findings suggest that effective treatment can be shorter and more focused on exposure than is often outlined in manuals and have important implications for outcome research and dissemination.

An uncontrolled examination of a 5-day intensive treatment for pediatric OCD.

This study examined the feasibility of a 5-day intensive treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Fifteen children with OCD received a week-long treatment based on exposure and response prevention (ERP). The intervention also emphasized teaching children and parents how to conduct ERP independently at home. All families completed the week-long treatment and symptoms improved significantly as measured by self- and parent-report forms, as well as the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, F(2, 22)=45.67, p<.05. Total CY-BOCS scores decreased significantly from pretreatment (M=28.00, SD=4.24) to posttreatment [M=16.00, SD=6.0, F(1, 11)=34.38, p<.05] and from posttreatment to 5-month follow-up [M=11.5, SD=7.3; F(1, 11)=12.94, p<.05]. This level of improvement was consistent with other intensive treatments for pediatric OCD. The study suggests that the 5-day program is a promising treatment for children with OCD who do not have access to local providers.