Posted on September 6, 2005 at 1:40 p.m.

WHAT:

Outward signs of stress in children displaced by Katrina may include bedwetting, the need to cling to parents and other immature behaviors, says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) early childhood education expert Anarella Cellitti, Ph.D. Cellitti is counseling families in Birmingham who have fled the hurricane-ravaged areas.

WHO:

Cellitti is an expert on childhood trauma and early childhood education at the UAB School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She has been a therapist in mental health facilities with children and teens and is co-author of the book Children’s Fears of War and Terrorism: A Resource for Teachers and Parents. She is fluent in Spanish.

“Some of the children may begin acting out,” says Cellitti, “because children don’t have the coping skills that adults have. They are distressed and they are seeing others around them who are distressed. Their regular routine has been disrupted.

“The long-term impact of Katrina on children is difficult to predict,” she says. “It will depend on the child. Some may develop fears of storms. Others may experience feelings of helplessness and guilt over having survived when their relatives or friends did not. The symptoms of stress may not show up until much later, after the family gets a new home and things seem back to normal. Children can have a delayed response to such events.”

CONTACT:

Gail Short, UAB Media Relations, (205) 934-8931 or gshort@uab.edu.