Trauma affects many students in our classrooms, kids in our care, and children in our communities, yet it often goes unnoticed or misunderstood. You may have heard the term “trauma,” but perhaps its full impact isn’t always clear.
What is Trauma?
Trauma often involves experiencing or witnessing an event in which a person believes his/her life, or someone else’s life, is in danger. It is subjective – meaning what may be traumatic for you, may not be for someone else.
Children and young people who are surrounded by consistent, attuned and emotionally responsive relationships and connected, reliable support systems are more likely to be able to process single-event traumas with help from caregivers. However, for kids who lack that secure, co-regulatory base, trauma responses may be exacerbated and ongoing, ultimately causing challenges in their day to day life and functioning.
Developmental Trauma
Some kids in our care may experience “developmental trauma”. Prolonged and pervasive, this type of trauma often occurs within the primary caregiving system. Adults who are supposed to provide safety, nurture and joy become sources of fear, instability, and distrust. Our children are left emotionally stranded and unable to progress through typical developmental processes children need to go through to be socially and emotionally healthy, hence the term developmental trauma.
Developmental trauma experiences may occur in the form of what are traditionally thought of as trauma experiences, but may also take place in ways that are not as commonly categorized as traumatic.
Here is a list of some developmental trauma experiences we encounter when working with children and families at Chaddock:
- Physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological abuse or neglect
- Witnessing domestic violence, community violence, or school violence
- Significant disruption, chaos or instability within the home setting
- (i.e., significant lack of routine, multiple people in and out of the home, frequent conflict, caregiver mental health issues, financial instability, housing instability)
- Multiple transitions
- (i.e., frequently moving living environments or foster care placements)
- Impaired caregiving
- (i.e., due to caregiver’s mental health, alcohol/drug abuse, medical illness, etc.)
- Prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs or witnessing adult alcohol or drug abuse
- Illness/Medical trauma
- Traumatic loss/Bereavement
The combination of developmental interruptions and lack of an emotionally responsive and regulated partner means that our kids often show up with “challenging behaviors”. We see these behaviors as their way of communicating an unmet need:
- Ready to fight, flight or freeze at any time: “I am in my back brain and my body is experiencing heightened stress responses. I need you to help me tell my brain that I am emotionally and physically safe”.
- Emotions and physical behaviors are unpredictable and extreme: “I don’t know how to regulate my systems, no-one taught me or I missed those steps. I need you to help me identify the emotions I am feeling and how to manage them with my words and actions”.
- Controlling, manipulative or attention-seeking: “Nobody sees me, hears me or understands me. I need you to help me know that I have choices, that you can see me trying (but using the wrong skills) and that you care about me even when it’s hard for me to do my best”.
For many of these children, school, therapy offices, or after-school programs may be their only consistent, safe space with caring adults.
What This Means for Child and Family Serving Professionals
Kids impacted by trauma may seek stability more than academics. They might arrive to your classroom or office looking for:
- A predictable environment
- Meaningful relationships with trusted adults
- A sense of emotional safety
It’s up to us as regulated adults to recognize these needs, as they are often hiding behind behaviors that don’t make sense.
When we approach teaching, caregiving, and therapy with an understanding of trauma, we create spaces that help children feel safe, supported, and more ready to learn and grow. And that’s when healing can truly begin.
