![]() ![]() Focus on skills -What skills were missing that could have made that situation successful?īy being a trauma-informed detective you can learn to notice the patterns of the child and gain valuable information that will help guide you on what to do next.Conclusion/outcome – What actions did staff take to intervene? What was said specifically? What were the consequences, expectations, follow through? What support was given to the child?.Behaviour – What was the behaviour or action from the child?.When? Does the behaviour happen when it’s time to tidy up for lunch? Does it happen around rest/quiet time? Always in the morning or in the afternoon?.How? How did the child express behaviour? What did it look like?Does the child run away? Fight? Refuse or protest? Shutdown and not respond?.Where? E.g., Is it always outside? Always in the hallway? In the class? In circle/group activity?.What? What is the behaviour over? An object? An injustice? A request or opportunity that the child is wanting? E.g., A peer was playing with a toy which a child wanted, resulting in a behaviour.Who? Is there a particular staff or peer that is part of the dynamic when behaviour occurs? Is there something about a person that activates behaviour? Tone of voice? Body language? History of relationship?.What happened right before behaviour? – Track what happened, where, with who, how and when.People involved – Is there a person the child has greater difficulty with or is calmer around?.Date/Time – Does it always happen on the same day of the week or at the same time of day?.Start by tracking events and look for triggers. This detective work is most effective when all adults in the child’s life contribute to these discussions and observations. When responding to children’s behaviour through a trauma informed lens, adults act as a detectives by gathering information through observation, documentation and reflection to find ways to best help the child. When using a trauma-informed lens, be a detective. It is important for adults to remember that children are not acting out on purpose, but in fact, they are communicating, “I’m not feeling safe and this is all I know to do to get back to safety!” The adult’s role is to support the child to move out of survival mode to thinking again. Using a “trauma-informed lens” allows adults to see that the child is stressed and the survival part of the brain is overloaded. This behavioural response is a sign or symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. The emotional brain may respond through large scale emotions. This is because the survival brain is responding to a threat by any means necessary. When a child is experiencing stress and trauma, these common signs of stress may appear as if the child is ‘acting out’. Overly physical play, over-activity or difficulty with physical self-regulation.Clinging or looking for extra attention from familiar adults.Hypervigilance or constantly on “high alert”.Loss of interest in toys and activities previously enjoyed.Overly physical reactions to conflict, difficulty with problem solving.Regression in skills previously learned, such as toileting.Difficulty following instructions or routines that were previously learned.Difficulty regulating emotions, e.g., tantrums, outbursts, irritability, or crying easily.Difficulty with transitioning to other activities.Presenting as less mature than peers of the same age.Support from caring and responsive adults who can offer strategies to help a child move out of survival and emotion to thinking is important.Ĭommon signs of stress and trauma in children may include the following: What was once easy for a child to do, can become overwhelming as they try to manage their stress and learn at the same time. Long-lasting or recurring stressful experiences may prevent a child from regulating their emotions appropriately and they may fall behind in their learning and development. During this time, the emotional brain takes cues from the survival part of the brain and goes into “danger mode”, expressing large emotional responses such as a fight, flight, or freeze. When the survival brain is activated, the thinking brain shuts off. The problem arises when the brain is in a constant state of survival. When a child experiences stress or trauma, the survival brain may be activated and take control of how the child responds. Trauma can influence how children interact with others and their environment. In Part 1: Understanding Stress and Trauma we learned that stress and trauma can significantly impact children’s health, development and overall wellbeing. Looking Through a Trauma Informed Lens Part 2
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |