Child Centered Play-Therapy with a Child Diagnosed with Kabuki Syndrome

Kabuki Syndrome (KS) is a rare genetic disorder first diagnosed in 1981 (Matsumoto & Niikawa, 2003). It's clinical presentation and treatment is unknown by most clinicians the mental health fields. Children with KS present with unique facial characteristics, mental retardation, health problems and socio-emotional delays that are often mistaken for other diagnostic problems. Literature detailing the psychological and psychosocial features of this disorder is scant, and psychotherapeutic approaches have not been described. In this article we present a brief review of Kabuki Syndrome, highlighting its signs and symptoms. Differential diagnoses are identified to aid the clinician in better understanding this unique and relatively unheard of syndrome. Finally, a client-centered play therapy and parent consultation approach is described that addresses the many child and family challenges that may accompany KS.

Making and Keeping Friends: A social skills game that promotes parental involvement to more effectively address social deficits in children with ADHD

The social deficits of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have great impact on overall functioning and life satisfaction; however, ways of addressing these deficits to promote positive interpersonal functioning have been limited. The following paper explores the literature that highlights these social deficits, identifies skills that are proposed to target these impairments, discusses child and parent factors that are relevant to positive therapeutic change, and describes the development of a therapeutic game that incorporates variables important to treatment success of these interpersonal difficulties.