Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that nearly 10% of Americans suffer from. Unlike other afflictions, it is associated with a wide variety of circumstances. Many war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. However, a new group of people is quickly emerging as common victims of PTSD: sexually abused children. Posttraumatic stress disorder is a widespread problem associated with child victims of sexual violence. PTSD is classified as an anxiety disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders (DSM-III). The diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was not formally diagnosed as part of the DSM-III until 1980. According to Famolaro, “the diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder requires: (a) the experience of significant traumatic events; (b) re-experiencing of the trauma in one of several thought, emotional, or behavioral forms; (d) persistent symptoms of increased arousal, particularly when exposed to stimuli that concretely or symbolically recall the trauma (e) symptoms lasting at least a month (Famolaro, Maternal and Child Posttraumatic... 28 )."Children are realizing that they seriously suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is especially harmful to children under the age of 11 because they lack many of the skills needed to protect themselves. Furthermore, this vulnerability increases when the child is exposed to any mistreatment. According to recent studies, "Posttraumatic stress disorder is a common consequence of severe or chronic maltreatment of children, particularly among sexually abused children (Famularo, Symptom Differences... 28)." Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur if the child is exposed to just one traumatic episode (rape, witnessing a violent crime, physical abuse); However, if the abuse continues, the child will become more susceptible to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Furthermore, a child is more likely to suffer from symptoms associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder when sexual violence is involved (28). Since children have not yet developed a cognitive-emotional aspect and are very immature, they are probably candidates for developing symptoms related to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. As a child matures, he or she becomes better equipped to address and prevent factors that contribute to the possible suffering of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Up until the age of two, children can recreate stressful events and even imagine those events happening again; However, the mind is not sufficiently developed to identify, anticipate or prevent future traumatic events. By age three, children cannot “distancing themselves, over time, appreciating roles and differences in behavior, access situation, or adopting non-egocentric causality (Saigh 189).” This defect exposes them to the impact of trauma because the child cannot anticipate and protect himself. By age four, children have the ability to protect themselves by avoiding traumatic encounters. They also have the ability to suppress anxiety when it gets difficult