In this presentation, Dr. Usher will explore hallucinations in youth examining ways of evaluating and helping supports children, teens and parents to help manage the distress surrounding these. He will offer the audience an examination of the literature on the nature, prevalence, and diagnostic difficulties surrounding hallucinations in youth emphasizing the fact that hallucinations are not tantamount to “having schizophrenia” and that interventions need to be tailored to the unique life experience and sensibilities of each individual and family.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

Identify three clinical features accompanying hallucinations in children which would lead evaluators to be more concerned about psychosis;
Identity three clinical features accompanying hallucinations in children which would lead evaluators to consider other diagnostic paradigms and causes;
List three therapeutic means of addressing hallucinations in children which may lead to young people and families to experience diminished stress and tension about them; and,
Name two tools that can be used to help evaluators better understand the nature and nuance of hallucinations in children.