medium range. Because selection of a 4-week treatment period was
arbitrary and shorter than many traditional cognitive–behavioral
treatments for nighttime fears, future studies might also determine
the effects of longer time frames with books such as this (e.g.,
6–8 weeks). Additionally, a longer follow-up period would help to
determine maintenance of effects and whether children continue
to improve over time.
Future studies should also break down the treatment to identify
the specific components that contribute to therapeutic success.We
know that the most effective treatment components for anxiety
with young children have been shown to be exposure, participating
modeling, and reinforcement (Ollendick & King, 1998); therefore,
it would be useful to determine which specific games are linked
to changes in child behavior and symptoms to help strengthen the
overall effectiveness of the bibliotherapy treatment. Nonetheless,
Uncle Lightfoot (Coffman, 2012) illustrates how exposure therapy
can be presented in a positive way such that