WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ A Wichita child welfare group is adopting a
new treatment for neglected and abused children whose brains often
are not fully developed due to the trauma.
The therapies put in place at Youthville aim to fill in those gaps in the brain before moving on to the next developmental stage or skill. Officials believe the approach could become a model for other communities.
Youthville has joined with Bruce Perry, one of the world's top authorities on childhood trauma to adopt a new framework for treatment. It would deal with children in foster care, psychiatric residential facilities and other settings.
Perry's treatment calls for assessing each child's brain development and finding therapeutic activities -- such as massage, expressive art therapy or equine therapy -- that match his needs.
