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RESPONSE STRATEGIES:

Provide resources to promote positive parent-child relationships. Encourage both parents to stay engaged with their children’s learning activities at home. Encourage parent networking Incorporate classroom activities and materials that support children of divorced parents.

Reference:

Kim, L., Spengler, L. (n.d.). Helping children adjust to divorce: a guide for teachers. Extension. Retrieved from https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/gh6611

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RESPONSE STRATEGIES:

Provide resources at school (extra support before and after moving, welcoming practices.) Establish routines at school that can ground the student. Provide foster care system for youth to prevent disruption. Sharing student information and aligning curriculum across districts to minimize adjustments for students.

Reference:

Ingraham, C. (2016, July 13). Moving as a child can change who you are as an adult. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/13/moving-as-a-child-can-change-who-you-are-as-an-adult/

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RESPONSE STRATEGIES:

Teach decision-making and problem-solving skills. Interact with neglected children at their emotional age. Establish routines - be consistent, predictable, and repetitive. Model and teach appropriate social behaviors.

Reference:

Tully, J. (2017, April). What is neglect; a medical perspective and the neurobiological model. [Slideshow]. Retrieved from https://slideplayer.com/slide/12240529/

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Reference:

Ingraham, C. (2016, July 13). Moving as a child can change who you are as an adult. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/13/moving-as-a-child-can-change-who-you-are-as-an-adult/

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Strategies for helping students with PTSD

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Strategies for helping students with PTSD

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1. Communicate with counselors or social workers. Besides providing specific information about your students, these are great resources for more information about recognizing and understanding the impacts of trauma.

2. Provide structure and consistency. Write the agenda on the board. Use entry and exit routines. When a student knows what to expect, it can help her to feel safe.

3. Ease transitions. Give time warnings ahead of activity transitions (“3 minutes until we switch groups...”). Warn ahead of doing something unexpected, such as turning off the lights or making a loud sound. If possible, prepare students for fire drills.

4. Provide choice. People with trauma history experience a lack of control. Provide safe ways for students to exercise choice and control within an activity and within the environment (choice of seats, choice of book, etc).

5. Develop strengths and interests. Focus on an area of competence and encourage its development to contribute to positive self-concept.

6. Be there. A lot of working with students with trauma history is just showing up, every day, and accepting the student no matter what behaviors emerge. Be an adult in that student’s life who is going to accept him and believe in him, no matter what - children can never have too many supportive adults in their lives.

7. Make an “out” plan. Create a way for a student to take space if she feels triggered or overwhelmed during class. Designate a space in the school building or outside where you will know where to find her if she needs to take time for a sensory break or to regulate her emotions. You can also provide a box or kit of sensory calming tools a student can use (Silly Putty, coloring, puzzles).

8. Take care of yourself. One of the most important things to remember. If you work with even just one student who experienced trauma, you can experience vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue. Use your own support system and make time to do things that fill your tank.

Reference:

Venet. A. S. (2014, September 14). 8 ways to support students who experience trauma. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/8-ways-support-students-who-experience-trauma

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Behavioral issues (e.g., delinquency & aggression)

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Behavioral issues (e.g., delinquency & aggression)

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Symptoms

Intrusive memories about the loss experienced. A variety of symptoms can present themselves through nightmares, guilt, or self-blame about how the person was lost, or even thoughts about the manner of loss that can be recurrent or intrusive.

Avoidance and numbing. The child can express this through withdrawal, or  acting as if not upset, blocking out reminders of the person or even acting as though nothing happened as a way of self-preservation.

Physical or emotional symptoms of increased arousal. The child can be irritable, angry, have trouble sleeping, decreased concentration in the classroom, slowing academic progress, stomachaches, headaches, increased vigilance.

Response strategies

Teachers should avail themselves to listen without bias, acknowledge the child’s feelings, and also be nonjudgmental. Use SEL strategies to assist students to express their own feelings in an open, calm, and appropriate way.  Resources like Trauma and Grief Component Therapy strategies and Trauma Focussed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy should be made available through regular talks with mental health professionals, social workers in the community linked with the school district and other stakeholders to safeguard the psychological wellbeing of children.

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The Courage to Remember: Training Video on Child Traumatic Grief

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RESPONSE STRATEGIES:

Provide parent outreach programs. Resources for welcoming process. Have regular meetings with families (get to know them). Integrate the students' cultural and country information into weekly classroom routines. Pair students with peer helpers.

Reference:

Valenzuela, J. (2021, October 14). 5 trauma-informed strategies for supporting refugee students. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-trauma-informed-strategies-supporting-refugee-students/

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Children are exposed to acts of interpersonal violence that are largely intentional, committed in public areas by individuals who are not intimately related to the victim.

Possible Symptoms

Community violence can make children lose their sense of safety, placing them into “survival mode,” which perpetually keeps them ready to gear up for fight or flight.This can present in students who are angry, combative, fearful, frequent injury or hospitalizations, unexplained change in usual behavior, talking about violence with peers or teachers, sensitivity to sudden sounds, unexpected behavior.

Response Strategies

Teaching students about the existence of hate-based violence (whether it be violence fuelled by racial, demographic or socio-economic reasons) through facilitating effective conversations, age-specific guidelines, and actions the class, school, families and communities can take before an event occurs.

Video on talking about Violence in the school space:
Talking about Community Violence

References:

Community Violence Collaborative Group, National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2013). Community violence: Reactions and actions in dangerous times. Los Angeles, CA, & Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.

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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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The following resources on Community Violence were developed by the NCTSN.

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Life Threatening Illness: Medical Trauma 

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Life Threatening Illness: Medical Trauma 

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This type of trauma, also referred to as Pediatric medical traumatic stress, makes reference to a host of psychological and physiological responses that children have to pain, injury, serious illness, medical procedures, as well as invasive or harrowing/frightening treatment experiences. It may also occur as a response the child has to a single or multiple different medical events.

Symptoms

1. Re-experiencing. This refers to the situation in which the child persistently ruminates on the trauma, even when they don’t want to. Re-experiencing could cause children to respond with flashbacks after unrelated situations in the classroom might trigger them,  nightmares, or even experience physical symptoms when something – a sight, a sound, a smell – reminds them of the traumatic event.

2. Avoidance. These symptoms can start by trying not to think or talk about the trauma, or anything related to it. There are times when children would rather stay away from people, places or activities because these triggers upset them, even leading to them developing new fears or worries.  In terms of injuries sustained, they can even develop over-cautious behavior and a hyper-sensitivity to safety, making them docile, neurotic and hypervigilant which could introduce distrust and mistrust.. These types of avoidance can certainly interfere with their daily life and prevent them from enjoying activities they used to.

3. Hyper-arousal. Hyper-arousal is when the child’s sense of danger, or the “fight or flight response”, operates in an extreme manner.   Post  injury, accident or traumatic event, this “fight or flight” response might be constantly activated, even when the child is safe. After a scary situation like being injured, a child might have the feeling that something negative could happen again at any given moment, developing shifty or jumpy behavior. The physical feelings that go along with hyper-arousal (e.g., heart palpitations, hyperventilation) can feel scary themselves.

Response Strategies

The teacher should exercise sensitivity, especially to the environmental cues that can potentially cause a reaction in the traumatized child. Also be mindful that trauma symptoms/related behavior may escalate near an anniversary of a traumatic event.  Creating a close relationship and gaining as much student data as possible will equip the teacher with the knowledge to set up boundaries and make provision for these situations.

Try to teach elements of tact and discretion.  Have a keen awareness of other children’s reactions to the traumatized child and also to the things they talk about/share with each other, then convert those into teaching moments. Try to protect the traumatized child from classmates’ curiosity and protect classmates from the details of a child’s trauma.

References:

NASP School Safety and Crisis Response Committee. (2015). Addressing grief: Tips for teachers and Administrators. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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Children's responses to medical trauma are often more related to their subjective experience of the medical event rather than its objective severity. Reactions vary in intensity and can be adaptive or may become disruptive to functioning. The majority of pediatric patients and their families are resilient and do well.

Many ill or injured children and their families (up to 80%) experience some traumatic stress reactions following a life-threatening illness, injury, or painful medical procedure. Between 20 - 30 % of parents and 15 - 25% of children and siblings experience persistent traumatic stress reactions that impair daily functioning and affect treatment adherence and recovery. When they persist, traumatic stress reactions can:

Impair day-to-day functioning

Affect adherence to medical treatment

Impede optimal recovery

There are three main types of traumatic stress reactions:

Re-experiencing. Re-experiencing means that the child keeps thinking a lot about the trauma, even when he does not want to. Some re-experiencing is normal and natural. Thinking a lot about what happened, especially at first, is part of how we help ourselves recover from a scary experience.Too much re-experiencing can be very distressing. A child might have nightmares or "flashbacks" that make her feel like she is going through the trauma all over again. She may feel really upset or even have physical symptoms when something - a sight, a sound, a smell - reminds her of what happened.

Avoidance. Avoidance symptoms can start by trying not to think or talk about the trauma, or anything connected with it. Sometimes kids want to stay away from people, places or activities because these reminders upset them. And children sometimes develop new fears or worries. Of course, it can be good common sense to be more cautious after an injury. Children may become more aware of safety - remembering to wear a seat belt, not running into the street after a ball, or staying away from dogs they do not know. But extreme avoidance or fears can become a real problem. Avoidance can interfere with daily life and stop a child from getting back to enjoying things that she usually likes to do.

Hyper-arousal. Hyper-arousal also starts with a natural and normal response to danger, the "fight or flight response." After an injury or accident, this "fight or flight" response might not turn off, even when the child is safe. After a scary situation like being injured, a child might have the feeling that something bad could happen again at any time, or he might jump at any loud noise. The physical feelings that go along with hyper-arousal (e.g., heart racing) can feel scary themselves.

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Children's responses to medical trauma are often more related to their subjective experience of the medical event rather than its objective severity. Reactions vary in intensity and can be adaptive or may become disruptive to functioning.

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Strategies that can help enhance children’s social and emotional skills

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Strategies that can help enhance children’s social and emotional skills

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1. Create a trusted environment where emotions are talked about openly. Children must be taught to recognize and communicate their feelings. Do not shy away from talking about your feelings too. This will encourage your child to open up.

2. Do not shout or yell at people or become physically violent. This can have a significant adverse impact on your child’s mind. At the same time, do not raise hands on your child too. Needless to say, children learn more from observing you.

3. Practice mindfulness, it helps improve your child’s emotional regulation capacity. Mindfulness practice can help in stress management and reduce anxiety and depression.

4. Maintain a healthy and open relationship with your child. Be approachable for your child and act as a guide. This gives your child the confidence to approach you whenever he or she requires. Use every possible opportunity to talk to your child about emotions and teach them how to manage their emotions.

5. Qualities such as courtesy, compassion, tolerance and modesty are essential to bond well with others. Inculcate them in your child so that they help your child in their relationships with people around them.

6. Make your child understand the importance of empathising with others. This will help your child to avoid stereotyping people or being prejudiced towards someone.

7. Teach your child how to prevent emotional outbursts in public and how to deal with them. Teach them about the various techniques like deep breathing, counting till 10.

8. Praise your child for a task well done and ensure that you provide constructive feedback every time. Teach your child to pat his or her own back on accomplishments rather than seek appreciation from others. This will make them persevere and strive towards long-term goals, rather than seek immediate results.

9. Let your child make small decisions of life right from a young age. Let your child choose clothes, food, games, etc for himself or herself.

10. Monitor the early instances of reactions such as jealousy, anger or sadness and work on them.

Reference:

Social-Emotional Development in School-Going Children. (2020, January 7). Beyond Academics. Retrieved from https://blog.learnbuddy.in/social-emotional-development-in-school-going-children/

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Poor Performance in Academics

Loss of Interest in Social Activity

Difficulty Adapting to Change

Emotionally Sensitive

Anger/Irritability

Feelings of Guilt

Introduction of Destructive Behavior

Increase in Health Problems

Loss of Faith in Marriage and Family Unit

Reference:

What Are the Effects of Divorce on Children? (2023). Family Means. Retrieved from https://www.familymeans.org/effects-of-divorce-on-children.html