e, at least partly, from an understanding of significant developmental characteristics associated with these stages." Diagnoses and treatment must be age-appropriate, taking into account the level at which the child is functioning. Alfred Adler observes, "Each child adapts himself in a different manner - mostly imperfectly - and very often, mistakenly as well." "Billy, "the Teddy Bear Boy," in Terry Kottman's case study, for example, is only four years old, and, despite his advanced verbal skills, is still at a very egocentric stage of development. His behavior allows him to exert control over his environment, but he is too young to be able to understand that or gain anything useful from the insights of his therapist.
Developmental considerations also apply to more specific stages. Patrick O'Malley, treating a boy dealing with his father's suicide, writes, "Much like the stages of cognitive development, children pass through stages of grief in a developmental sequence . . . When I counsel grieving children who are in the prepubescent stage of
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