Instead of the intrusive dysphoric flashbacks of adults, traumatised children tend to get vivid recollections of the traumatic event that come on at leisure when they are bored with school or just before going of the sleep or when watching television.

They also re-experience the event by forms of repetitive play which follows the themes of the trauma. Classically dolls become the real life characters in repetitions of the trauma that are repeated again and again. This is pretty distressing to watch. They may also repetitively re-enact the traumatic situation playing their own roles themselves.

Children may have frightening dreams like adults, but unlike adults the content of the dream may remain obscure and not clearly related thematically to the trauma.