I see it a little differently.
Well, of course you do. You're one of he marks that buys into the bullshit.
The kids who leave early (say 6 months) may report the same results as the kids who stay the entire time. This is due to that the majority of the change has occurred by then and the child appears to be better. The time in the final phase of the programs is used to solidify the childs changes and prepare the child for the transition home.
That's pretty much what they told us (and our parents) in Straight, just dressed up a little prettier. Virgil MIller Newton was goddamned proud of his sadistic acts. Now, since the media (and yes, Fornits) has picked up on this, they've just repackaged it (this is where your marketing skills come in quite handy, Who) and sell the same old snake-oil.
Great discussion, DJ, I found this finding interesting myself. I would like to see the kids fill these out at 3 month intervals to see if there is any variance from the onset to the 3 month mark and then again from the 6 month mark to the end of the program (just purely from a reporting perspective to see how the kids feel they are benefiting and at what time along the time-line they wee this effect).
How 'bout a 5 - 10 year follow-up to see how the kids feel about what happened to them back then. We tend to see things through different eyes as an adult and are able to recognize abuse when we see it instead of just trusting our parents or worse yet, "trust the process".
Edited to add: That 5 - 10 year period is also when the PTSD tends to manifest itself. It takes a while for the brainwashing to clear out of your soul.