A Training for Educators Adapted from Helping Traumatized Children Learn Antelope Valley SELPA Stacy Alvey 2 VIDEO Through Our Eyes Children Violence and TraumaIntroduction httpswwwyoutubecomwatchvz8vZxDa2KPMampt8s ID: 760787
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Supporting Students Who Have Experienced Trauma
A Training for Educators
Adapted from:
Helping Traumatized Children Learn
Antelope Valley SELPA
Stacy
Alvey
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VIDEO:
Through
Our Eyes: Children, Violence, and
Trauma-Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8vZxDa2KPM&t=8s
Slide3Basic understanding of trauma work
It takes time to work through grief, hurt and traumatic experiencesThere are no easy, fast fixesIt’s ok to be not-OKYour students will not be perfect & you will not be perfectWe’re all in this together
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Slide4ACE Study44% or respondents reported suffering sexual, physical or psychological abuse as children. 12.5%reported having a mother who had been treated violently. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html
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Slide5ACE Study An informal survey of 450 students in Massachusetts, who attended Alt-Ed programs indicated that 90% of the students reported histories of trauma exposure. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html
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Slide6The Trauma Risky Behavior Connection
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Slide7National Child Traumatic Stress Network NCTSN survey found that interpersonal victimization primarily in the home was the most prevalent form of trauma among children treated by NCTSN.
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Slide8“The impact can get carried into the classroom, where it can interfere with the ability to process information and maintain control over behaviors and emotions. The fact that family violence is frequently kept secret from schools adds to the confusion, often making it difficult for educators to discern the reasons for a child’s behavioral and learning problems.” - Helping Traumatized Children Learn
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Slide9“Because of one’s past experiences, outlook, cognitive abilities, and even culture factor into the experience, trauma is highly subjective.” – Esther Giller
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Slide10Child Traumatic Stress
Signs at home
Difficulty sleeping/nightmaresSchool refusal Lack of appetiteBed-wetting or regression Anger ADHD type behaviors Anxious, withdrawn or afraid to be separatedNervous“in his/her own world” Trauma play
Signs at school
Frequently yawning, puts head on desk, sleeps in classFrequently in nurse’s office/frequent absencesDoesn’t eat school lunchActs immatureAggressive towards staff and peersADHD type behaviorsSocially withdrawnNervous“in his/her own world”Trauma play
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Slide11Factors Which Impact The Level Of Trauma A Child Experiences
AgeTemperamentPrevious traumaSocial supportCognitive levelCommunity SupportChronic or single eventOther protective factors
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Slide12Childhood Traumatic Grief
Death is experienced as horrifying or terrifying, whether the death was sudden and unexpected or due to natural causes. Trauma symptoms interfere with the child’s ability to work through the typical bereavement process. Left unresolved, this condition could lead to more serious difficulties over time.
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Slide13Impact of Trauma on Learning
The Science of trauma & learningInstitute of Child Development - TCUCall, C., Purvis, K., et.al. (2014) Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms, National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate, No. 75, pp. 1-10
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Slide14Impact of Trauma on Learning
Children with secure attachments to adults and a positive worldview usually are able to regulate their emotions and develop the solid foundation necessary for adapting well at school. Children from violent homes may have a diminished sense of self-worth, feel incapable, feel hopeless, experience self-blame and a lack of control.
Call, C., Purvis, K., et.al. (2014) Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms, National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate, No. 75, pp. 1-10
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Slide15Impact of Trauma on Learning
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Slide16Impact of Trauma on Learning
According to brain researchers, when children encounter a perceived threat to their safety, their brains trigger a complex set of chemical and neurological events known as the “stress response.” This activates a natural instinct to prepare to fight, freeze, or flee from the unsafe event. This part of the brain becomes over-developed.
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Slide17Impact of Trauma on Learning
H
yper-responsive Constant state of hyper-vigilance. Constant “scanning the environment” for potential threats.
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Slide18Impact of Trauma on Learning
Language & Communication SkillsSocial and Emotional CommunicationProblem Solving and AnalysisCause and Effect RelationshipsTaking Another’s PerspectiveAttentiveness to Classroom TasksRegulating Emotions
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Slide19Impact of Trauma on Learning
What Flight, Fight or Freeze Looks Like in the ClassroomFlightFightFreezeWithdrawingFleeing the classroomSkipping classDaydreamingSeeming to sleepAvoiding othersHiding or wanderingBecoming disengagedActing outBehaving aggressivelyActing sillyExhibiting defianceBeing hyperactiveArguingScreaming/yellingExhibiting numbnessRefusing to answerRefusing to get needs metGiving a blank lookFeeling unable to move or act
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Slide20“The behavior is so willful, so intentional. She controlled herself yesterday, she can control herself today. If we only knew what happened last night, or this morning before she got to school, we would be shielding the same child we’re now reprimanding.” – “On Playing a Poor Hand Well: Insights from the Lives of Those Who Have Overcome Childhood Risks and Adversities” - by Mark Katz
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Slide21Both the plasticity of brain development and the scaffolding nature of skill development are strong reasons to intervene as early as possible with supportive, ameliorative and protective experiences.
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Slide22Schools can play a key role in assisting student who are suffering from trauma.
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Slide23Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
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VIDEO
Trauma, Brain and Relationship: Helping Children Heal
– Dr. Bruce Perry
https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYj7YYHmbQs&t=107s
Slide24Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Relationship is key! Follow your school’s reporting procedures if you suspect abuse.Work with the child’s caregiver to share and address school problems.Refer to community resources when a child shows signs of being unable to cope with traumatic stress.Share Trauma Facts for Educators with other teachers and school personnel.
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Slide25Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
For many educators, reframing their students’ behaviors as survival strategies rather than willful disobedience creates a dynamic shift in classroom interactions and behavior management.
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Slide26Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Maintain routines. This communicates that the child is safe. Give the child power & control where possible.Increase the level of support and encouragement.Set clear, firm limits for inappropriate behavior and develop logical—not punitive—consequences. Avoid battles for control. Reinforce the message that school is not a violent place.
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Slide27Helping Traumatized Children LearnWhat YOU can do:
Creating a safe environmentAssigned seatingCheck-in and check-outPosting of picturesNotes or calls homeRituals
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Slide28Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Creating a safe environmentStructure the classroom so it isn’t over-stimulatingUse behavioral interventions that don’t exacerbate traumaGive voice (Attachment/Bowlby)Give waterSnacks
Call, C., Purvis, K., et.al. (2014) National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate, No. 75, pp. 1-10
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Slide29Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Creating a safe environmentRecognize that behavioral problems may be transient and related to trauma. Provide a safe place for the child to talk about what happened, but don’t force them to talk with you.Be sensitive to cues in the environmentAnticipate difficult times and provide additional support. Warn stuents if you will be doing something out of the ordinary. “Co-regulate” with your student.
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Slide30Don’t lecture!“Give your mouth a rest, it’ll thank you”
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Slide31Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
H2O & TraumaGlutamate, (neuro transmitter that is commonly elevated in children with histories of harm,) is elevated when children are dehydrated. By giving water during school hours, glutamate level can be controlled.
Call, C., Purvis, K., et.al. (2014) National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate, No. 75, pp. 1-10
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Slide32Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Blood Sugar & Trauma
Insulin receptors are altered by chronic stress. Have snacks at times of day when student’s blood sugar may be low.
Call, C., Purvis, K., et.al. (2014) National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate, No. 75, pp. 1-10
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Slide33Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Sensory InputAllow students to choose an alternative when an activity is aversive to the senses.
Call, C., Purvis, K., et.al. (2014) National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate, No. 75, pp. 1-10
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Slide34Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Responding to QuestionsGive simple and realistic answers to the student’s questions about traumatic events. Clarify distortions and misconceptions.
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Slide35Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Be aware of other children’s reactions to the traumatized child.Protect the child from peers’ curiosity. Be attentive if the child experiences severe feelings of anger, guilt, shame or punishment attributed to a higher power. Consider accommodations/modifications to academic work for a short time.
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Slide36Helping Traumatized ChildrenWhat YOU can do:
Understand that children cope by re-enacting trauma through play and interactions w/ others. Resist their efforts to draw you into a negative repetition of the trauma.
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Slide37Identifying and Addressing Barriers
The tendency to see trauma as a home problemMisplacing blame on students or parentsBalancing individual needs vs. whole classLack of skills/resources for dealing with impact of traumaStaff feelings of helplessness & being overwhelmed
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Slide38Why We Need Trauma-Sensitive Schools
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VIDEO
Why
We Need Trauma-Sensitive Schools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyQdOLl6d2c
Slide39References
Benckendorf, K. (2013). Children of Trauma: What Educators Need to Know. National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate, September 2013., Issue No. 63. www.adoptioncouncil.orgCole, S.F., O’Brien, J.G., et. Al., (2009) Helping Traumatized Children Learn: Supportive School Environments for Children Traumatized by Family Violence. Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Boston, MA McMay, M., Wood, J.C., (2007) The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., Oakland, CA. National Child Traumatic Stress Network Schools Committee. (October 2008). Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators. Los Angeles, CA & Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.Souers, K. & Hall, P., (2016) Fostering resilient learners: strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive classroom, ASCD, Alexandria, VA.http://www.ascd.org/Default.aspx
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Adapted from:Helping Traumatized Children LearnAntelope Valley SELPAStacy Alvey