The Developmental Diagnosis Study is a critically important study that is being conducted to improve and expand trauma-related diagnoses for children. There are seven Field Trial sites across the country including our site in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts. Each site will interview at least 100 children and guardians. Eligible children are ages 8 – 17. Interviews take two- to three- hours to complete, and can be conducted at the Trauma Center in Brookline, our affiliate clinic in Acton, or at another office or program as available. Participants will be compensated $50 for each child participating in the study. Participation in this study is an opportunity to transform the field and to develop appropriate diagnoses and treatment models for children who have experienced trauma. Children do not need to have mental health problems or histories of traumatic events to sign up. All children ages 8-17 are welcome. To participate or make a referral, please contact the clinical research coordinator Regina Musicaro: (617) 232-1303, x 310 or rmusicaro@jri.org.

To view a recruitment flyer for the DTD Study, please CLICK HERE.

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR OTHER SITES:

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI
Connie Black-Pond, MA, LMSW, LPC
(269) 387-7065
black-pond@uchc.edu

University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, Philadelphia PA
Elizabeth Nicholls, Study Coordinator
(215) 571-4256
elizabethgnicholls@gmail.com

Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY
Emily Upshur, Ph.D.
(212) 420-2474
emupshur@chpnet.org

Anchorage Mental Health Center, Anchorage, AK
Joshua Arvidson, MSS, LCSW
(907) 762-2817
jarvidson@acmhs.com

DePelchin Children's Center, Houston, TX
Adrienne Tinder, Ph.D.
(713) 558-3912
ATinder@depelchin.org

University of Connecticut Health Center, Hartford, CT
Rocio Chang, Psy.D.
(860) 679-1728
CHANG@uchc.edu

University of Connecticut Health Center, Hartford, CT
Ms. Joan Levine, MPH
(860) 679-2132
LevineJ@uchc.edu

With gratitude for a generous grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Phase I of this Field Trial, a national clinician survey, was fully funded.

Thanks to a phenomenal surge of financial support, we have completed the fund drive for Phase II of the Field Trial; in fact, we exceeded our target!

We have achieved our goal to launch this critically important full-scale, seven-site epidemiological, validation and diagnostic classification clinical field trial. Achieving this goal provides maximal power and generalizability of study findings, as the seven national field trial locations have been carefully selected to maximize geographic, ethnic and sociocultural diversity of participants: Anchorage, Boston, Hartford, Houston, Southern Michigan, Philadelphia, and New York City. The generosity of an incredible donor base has enabled us to add a seventh site, Philadelphia; and an eighth site, New York, was financially secured through Jacob Ham's individual fundraising efforts.

In summary, the study design has been finalized and submitted to the trial review boards at each site for approval. Training of clinical interviewers will begin in late March. We anticipate recruitment to begin in April and the trial to begin in May.

NEW ARTICLE: Understanding Interpersonal Trauma in Children: Why We Need a Developmentally Appropriate Trauma Diagnosis. D'Andrea, W., Ford, J., Stolbach, B., Spinazzola, J., van der Kolk, B., American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2012, Vol. 82, No. 2, 187-200.

CLICK HERE.

Developmental Trauma Disorder: A Proposed Model and Supporting Documentation

CLICK HERE.

RECOGNITION OF DTD FIELD TRIAL DONORS AND FUNDING CONSORTIUM

Organizations and entitees that have made large contributions to date include ANS Research LTD, the Timothy and Michele Barakett Foundation, the Cammack Family Gift Fund, the J.D. Salinger Trust, Anchorage Community Mental Health Services, Wellspring Foundation, The Holborn Foundation, and the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute. As every donation is deeply valued irrespective of amount, we have compiled a list of DTD Field Trial contributers (aside from those who request anonymity) which can be viewed by clicking HERE.