A Scoping Review of Trauma Treatments among Legally Involved Adolescents with Learning, Cognitive, or Intellectual Disabilities: Identifying Clinically Relevant Research Gaps in the Literature

Youth involved in the legal system (YILS) experience higher rates of posttraumatic stress and learning, cognitive, or intellectual disabilities (LCID) than their peers without legal involvement. Trauma-focused treatments often require significant cognitive skills that may present difficulties for youth with LCID; this mismatch could impact the effectiveness of treatment with this subgroup of youth. Although evidence-based trauma treatments exist for YILS and for youth with LCID, there is no published synthesis examining such interventions for youth with LCID who are also legally involved. The current scoping review synthesizes existing literature related to trauma treatments for this population. A search of seven literature databases and backward citation searching using previously published articles on trauma treatments for youth yielded 406 articles, four of which examined the effectiveness of trauma treatments for YILS with LCID. None of the included articles provided specific analyses for YILS with LCID, leading to continued questions about the effectiveness of trauma treatment for this subset of youth. Results demonstrate a paucity of research on trauma-focused treatments for YILS with LCID, which is concerning given the significant cognitive skills required to effectively participate in evidence-based trauma treatments. Specific treatment considerations and adaptations are provided as opportunity for future clinical and empirical work in this area.