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What Is Child Trauma? | Center for Child Trauma Assessment and Service Planning (northwestern.edu)

This resource is to help people recognize the signs of trauma.

Childhood Trauma: How Trauma Impacts Mental Health | Duquesne University

This resource shows the impact trauma has on the mental health of a child.

How Childhood Trauma Affects Us As Adults | Mental Health (mentalhealthcenter.org)

This resource shows how trauma in early childhood carries into adulthood.

By: Stephanie Caplan

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This article's main focus is Resilience. Resilience can happen in many different ways. It's important for parents/caregivers to recognize these traits so they can deal with them in a reasonable matter.

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The We Are Resilient™ approach provides practical, researched-based skills for coping with stress, strengthening relationships, and finding joy. We want to support YOU!

Community wellbeing: Build a world where children, youth, adults, and families can support each other through promoting universal emotional and mental health.

Equity: Create a path to unlearn and dismantle structures of systemic racism and discrimination and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Free Access: Transform our communities through open education digital resources-free for anyone to download, adapt and share.

This approach is:

Community-based crossing multi-generations. Educators, healthcare providers, parents and caregivers- when we as adults become skillful in our resilience, we can better help our children and youth develop resilience.

Trauma-informed. Recognizing that all of us -whether we have experienced ACEs and trauma or not- have inner strengths and resilience.

Healing. Just as toxic stress has negative impacts on our health, positive emotional skills can improve our emotional and physical wellbeing. Integrating the mind and body connection helps us heal by living as whole human beings.

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Dovetail Learning - We Are Resilient™ practical skills for coping with stress

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The We Are Resilient™ approach provides practical, researched-based skills for coping with stress, strengthening relationships, and finding joy. We want to support YOU! Community wellbeing: Build a world where children, youth, adults, and families can support each other through promoting universal emotional and mental health.

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This resources is excellent for parenting children who have experienced trauma. In this article, it opens eyes for parents as they learn how to cope with trauma sensitive children, and how to teach them how to cope with the actual trauma.

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Many children in the child welfare system have experienced complex trauma. Complex trauma occurs when children are exposed to multiple traumatic events over time that are severe, pervasive, and interpersonal in nature, such as repeated abuse and neglect, and cause long-term harmful consequences ( National Child Traumatic Stress Network [PDF - 87 KB]). Complex trauma may interfere with a child's ability to form secure attachments to caregivers and many other aspects of healthy physical and mental development. In this section, find resources to help support children in your care who have experienced complex trauma, including specific trainings.

Parenting Children and Youth Who Have Experienced Abuse or Neglect

Traumatic Experiences
Sesame Street in Communities
Provides activities and resources designed to help child welfare professionals and parents help children address and heal prior traumatic experiences. There are also resources specific to children in foster care.

Training

Trauma-Free World
Provides trauma-informed care training for people who interact with children frequently, from foster parents to school personnel. The trainings are provided in multiple languages and continuing education units are available. A cost is associated with purchasing or attending a training.

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Resources on Trauma for Caregivers and Families

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Find resources to help caregivers and families support children in their care who have experienced trauma, including information on traumatic grief and specific trainings.

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Learning materials and resources for childhood trauma. 

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This website includes a variety of resources for families to use! Not only does this website have resources for parents, but it includes resources for teachers, military families and caregivers. There are many different links in this resources that will provide additional information on any trauma related topics.

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Review materials from SAMHSA, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCSTN), and other organizations designed to help you recognize and respond to child traumatic stress.

For Parents and Caregivers

Parents and caregivers play an important role in helping children and adolescents recover from exposure to traumatic events. The following materials help parents and caregivers better understand trauma and how they can help.

SAMHSA Resources

NCTSN Resources

For Military Families

Military families experience unique life challenges that can put children in stressful situations. Review resources to help military families and the health professionals who care for them.

Information for Military Families

NCTSN Resources for Health Professionals Caring for Military Families

For Educators and School Personnel

Access tip sheets, toolkits, and other materials to help educators and school personnel recognize trauma responses and respond to students who have experienced trauma.

NCTSN Resources

For Professionals in Health and Other Systems

Access tools, training, and technical assistance for professionals in mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and other fields related to children and trauma.

NCTSN Resources

Technical Assistance

For Media

Review the following resources for partners and media covering issues related to mental health and trauma in children.

NCTSN Resources

SAMHSA Resources

Visit the SAMHSA Newsroom for press announcements. The Office of Communications is SAMHSA's voice and face to the public.

Policy Briefs

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Review materials from SAMHSA, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCSTN), and other organizations designed to help you recognize and respond to child traumatic stress.

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https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/2227218002
This talks about the emotional toll that children endure while being abusive people and even parents. They can often get used to the behavior and continue it as they get older. It will become a cycle that can take a lot of work to break.

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/diverse-populations/americanindian/icwa/

This is a resource about the Indian Child Welfare Act. It talks about how Indian children were being taken out of their homes at a more higher rate than non Natives. It was put into place after native children were being put into the care of non native families and depriving them of their culture.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3676892/

This is about resilience with people overcoming abuse. How inspirational it is and how it can help others who are scared of taking the leap. It can encourage others they that are not the only ones.

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New research is giving scientists more insight into the far-reaching and long-lasting harms of domestic violence to the children who grow up around it - including a startling finding: Witnessing abuse carries the same risk of harm to children's mental health and learning as being abused directly.

Brain imaging in infants shows that exposure to domestic violence - even as they are sleeping, or in utero - can reduce parts of the brain, change its overall structure and affect the way its circuits work together.

Studies show that when babies born to mothers who were subjected to violence during pregnancy become adults, they have three times as much inflammation in their bodies as those whose mothers weren't. Inflammation causesa much higher risk of poor health, and a far greater likelihood of depression.

And research also shows that these children are as likely to have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as soldiers returning from war.

Psychologist Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, past president of the American Psychological Association's division of trauma psychology, said "babies are like a blank slate."

"If a mother is beaten while pregnant, there is a chance the baby will be injured, delivered prematurely, and there is a stack of other things that can happen - including physiological programming of the hyperactive stress system that leads to inflammation as an adult," she said.

"It's like when a soldier comes back from combat, hears a click and hits the ground."

Researchers estimate that between 4.5 million and 15 million children are exposed to physical violence in the home. Verbal and emotional abuse in the home is more difficult to track.

Social workers, health care providers and academics have long tracked the effects of trauma suffered by children growing up in urban neighborhoods with frequent gunfire and other violence. But outside of medical journals, there has been little reporting on the effect of the more common domestic violence on the millions of children who grow up on the residential battlefields where it occurs.

Neuroscientist Tanja Jovanovic directs the Grady Trauma Project, a research institute based at Emory University in Atlanta. The risk of PTSD from domestic violence is high, she says, because it's a "betrayal by someone who is supposed to be to a protector."

Making matters worse, Jovanovic said, domestic violence often eliminates the "buffering effect of another positive adult," because the adult who is targeted can't provide comfort to the children who witness it.

Psychologist Abigail Gewirtz says domestic violence can feel scarier than war. Gewirtz is the director of the Institute of Translational Research in Children's Mental Health at the University of Minnesota. It's "one of the most terrifying forms of violence because it happens in a place which is supposed to be safe," she said. "Children are totally powerless, especially very young children. They are totally dependent on their parents."

Exposure also reduces the potential of babies and toddlers to learn. Alissa Huth-Bocks, a child psychologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, said the "most damaging time" is during pregnancy and the first three years of life, when development "takes the biggest hit at the brain level."

Long-lasting consequences

Negative consequences continue well into adulthood. Among childhood adversities, Ronald Kessler says, those involving family violence inflict the worst long-term effects.

Kessler is a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, the principal investigator of the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey - the first nationally representative survey of mental disorders in the United States. He is co-director of the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Survey Initiative.

"One of the long-term effects of childhood adversity is that they create emotional scars that get reopened when people are exposed to traumas in adulthood - leading to adult PTSD," Kessler said.

For people of color, especially African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans, the effects of trauma are often magnified, federally funded research shows, because they are more likely to suffer from systemic racism, discrimination and microaggressions.

The results were based on a survey of parents about their children. In five states - Arizona, Mississippi, Arkansas, Hawaii and Tennessee - at least 10 percent of children had been exposed to domestic violence at home.

Child Trends says parents likely under-report violence in the home out of embarrassment or fear of stigma. The research doesn't include the psychological and emotional abuse, including gaslighting, that many women and some men told USA TODAY was far worse for them and their children to live with.

The findings, children's health advocates say, underscore a need for improved detection and prevention of domestic violence, and better treatment of abuse survivors and their children in the health care system, schools and the courts.

Georgia, Huff's home, is among the states where the law recognizes the effects of domestic violence on children. The state has created criminal charges for domestic violence that happens anywhere in a house where children are present, not just when it occurs in front of the child.

In other ways, specialists say, the law and courts have a long way to go in recognizing the impact on children's well-being. Parents accused or even convicted of domestic violence in many cases are able to gain unsupervised visits with their children, or partial or full partial custody - even when children are afraid of the offender.

When parents in an abusive relationship separate, conditions for their children can become even riskier. The nonprofit group Center for Judicial Excellence, which monitors family courts, found that more than 650 children were killed by a parent in a "divorce, separation, custody, visitation, child support situation" from 2008 through 2018.

Domestic violence crosses racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines. Cheryl Branch, executive director at Savannah's SAFE women's shelter, says the calls she gets from abused women in The Landings, an exclusive gated community, are as horrific as those that come from low-income clients.

She says women are afraid to leave husbands who threaten to spend whatever it takes to gain full custody of the children. When shelter residents go back to their domestic abusers - as many do - Branch is required to notify child protection authorities, just as she would be if a parent returned to someone who has sexually abused his or her child.

Huth-Bocks, the Cleveland psychologist, says researchers' ability to study human brain development has "exploded in the last five to six years." So has data on the mental health and addiction effects of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs - 10 harmful experiences or conditions, including domestic violence, tracked by health professionals.

Generations of violence

In San Diego, the children of now-divorced Eric and Yadira Sanchez - Angel, Noel and their 15-year-old brother - say they can vividly recall visiting their maternal grandparents' house when they were young.

They talk about seeing their grandmother punch cabinet doors and throw drinking glasses. She and their grandfather would hit each other in front of them, they say. The grandparents could not be reached for comment.

Later, Angel and Noel say, they watched as their mother chased their father with a kitchen knife and smashed a piece of a wood across his back. In December 2011, police arrested Yadira Sanchez on charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon and felony spousal battery, but prosecutors declined to pursue the charges.

As the alleged violence escalated, the children's grades and mental health declined, a review of school and medical records shows. (USA TODAY is not identifying the youngest son because he is a minor.)

"When these high levels of stress happen too often and too intensely, it creates a toxic pathway that alters how our brains and bodies operate and how we think, learn and behave," said psychologist Sheri Madigan, a professor at the University of Calgary in Canada.

Yadira Sanchez did not respond to requests for comment. Her lawyer, Ethan Marcus, acknowledges that the boys were exposed to domestic violence. But he claims Eric Sanchez's efforts to separate the boys from their mother likely hurt them far more.

"This is not a case where physical violence was the primary factor," Marcus said.

The American Medical Association published the study in November. University of Vermont psychologist William Copeland was its lead author. These children "have the same type of poor outcomes 10, 20 years down the road" as children who "experience it directly themselves," he said.

Research presented in November at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies shows that children exposed at an early age to trauma, including domestic violence, have a smaller hippocampus - the brain area related to learning and memory formation - a risk factor for PTSD.

Other research shows that the amygdala - the part of the brain that processes emotions, memory and fear - in children who have been exposed to violence reacts more strongly to threats than in children who haven't.

Eamon McCrory, a professor of developmental neuroscience at University College London, says the changes make it more difficult for these children to get along with others. Other studies have shown that exposing children to violence leads to lower grades and a greater probability of dropping out of school.

Psychologist and professor Katie McLaughlin directs the Stress and Development Lab at Harvard. "This change in size and likely the function of the hippocampus could be one potential mechanism that's underlying those differences in school achievement," she said. The brain works to help protect from danger. But when children are dealing with adversity, their brains can be overwhelmed.

Catholic high schools around San Diego began scouting Angel Sanchez when he was in middle school, according to Phillip Lomax, his coach at the time. The strapping middle linebacker - he was 6-foot-tall and 225 pounds in high school - was hard to miss.

Problem was, Sanchez said, just as his athletic abilities began gaining notice, his home life deteriorated and his grades dropped.

His mother stayed out late at night, his father found other men's numbers on her phone, and a pattern of erratic and often violent behavior against the boys and their father developed, Eric Sanchez said in requests for restraining orders and police reports.

The three boys each had an Individual Education Program detailing how they best learn given their disabilities. Angel has a speech impairment that affects his oral and written communication, reading comprehension and math problem solving. Noel was granted accommodations to receive extra time for homework and tests. The youngest boy struggles with reading and writing. All the boys were given intensive tutoring, language therapy and case managers.

As tensions between the parents rose, Angel's grade point average dropped from 3.0 at the beginning of his sixth grade to 1.3 by the start of 7th grade, school transcripts show.

That was the year - 2008 - that their mother chased their father around a table with a steak knife and stabbed the padded kitchen stools, Eric Sanchez and the boys told child welfare workers.

Noel Sanchez, now 18, recalls that period. "Oh man, I can still see and hear what happened those nights. That's not going to go anywhere," he said.

In children exposed to domestic violence, the parts of the brain that detect threats and anticipate pain - the anterior insula and amygdala - are strongly affected by threatening faces during brain imaging.

Researchers at University College London wrote in 2011 that the results might predict a later risk factor for anxiety disorders and increasing vulnerability to mental illness. A more recent study by the same authors showed this heightened responsiveness was present even when children weren't consciously aware of a threat.

"If you've grown up in a situation that's dangerous, you're much more likely to react to something that's actually totally safe(as if it were) a potential threat," McLaughlin said.

The two younger Sanchez boys went back and forth between their feuding parents. Angel stayed with his father. School progress reports show that Noel missed 57 classes in the first three months of 2017. His younger brother missed 137.

In 2016, Yadira Sanchez was granted a restraining order against Angel. Her lawyer, Ethan Marcus, says Angel kept trying to take his brothers away from their mother. Yadira lost custody of the boys in March 2017.

Lomax, the coach, says the chaos hurt Angel's future plans. "If you'd asked me, when he was going into 9th grade, what Angel's potential as a linebacker was, he was certainly a Division I contender, for sure," he said.

Eric Sanchez, the father, says one high school withdrew a scholarship offer after it sawAngel's grades. He missed practice often during high school during the parents' custody fight.

Noel Sanchez says that the turmoil before their parents separated, and stays with their mother after the split, were so traumatic that he attempted suicide in 2014 and considered it at other times. "I was just trying to hurt myself to let the pain go away," he said.

From mother to daughter

Debbie Ricker says domestic violence looms over three generations of her family. Both the California woman and her daughter Desiree say it led to Desiree's drug and alcohol abuse, and other mental and physical health struggles.

Ricker fought a 15-year custody battle with her ex-husband. It ended only when her son turned 18. She says the emotional abuse she suffered and her children witnessed still affects them. "My ex was very open with his abuse toward me," she said. "The abuse occurred in front of our kids, friends, family."

Desiree, now 29, said "I never heard him be nice to her. He belittled her every step of the way."

Marc Loehren, Debbie Ricker's ex-husband and Desiree's father, denies their allegations. He was never charged with a crime against them. "My two children had a wonderful childhood," he told USA TODAY. "There was no violence in this household. ... if anything, the mom hit me with a car."

He acknowledges the children have been to multiple psychologists. But he cites Ricker's family background and marriages before and after their relationship. He alleges that Ricker tried to undermine his relationship with the children.

"The children are fairly disturbed from anything that the mom has told them - which is alienation," Loehren said.

During an interview for a family evaluation during the custody fight, Loehren said Ricker was scaring the children by calling the police when he allegedly violated restraining orders.

Based on the evaluator's recommendation, a family court judge ordered the parents into joint counseling. The judge said each had to educate themselves on "child development and high parental conflict."

Ricker, 62, says she asked for a divorce. She says Loehren suggested the two of them sit down and explain it to the children. She says he opened he conversation by saying "Mommy doesn't like daddy anymore, so she is breaking our family apart." The kids started screaming and crying, Ricker says. Then they started to hit her.

Desiree started to gain weight when she was about 5. A therapist would later attribute the weight gain to the family dysfunction. When Desiree was 12, the family doctor told Ricker that her daughter had pre-diabetes. "It just made me cry," Ricker says.

In high school, Desiree says, she gained about 100 pounds - weight she still carries. At 12, Desiree says, she began an abusive relationship with a boyfriend who also came from a violent home. It lasted, on and off, until she was 27. The ex-boyfriend was never charged with abusing her.

Studies show that childhood adversities can lead to obesity later in life. Duke University researchers reported last year that children aged 12 to 15 were far more likely to eat poorly and less likely to get physical activity after exposure to domestic violence.

'These things go together'

It's common for children who are exposed to domestic violence to also suffer other adverse childhood experiences. ACEs are linked to a range of mental and physical health consequences throughout life, up to and including early death.

"If there's domestic violence in the household, it's statistically likely that there's also physical abuse and emotional abuse and maybe drug abuse or alcohol abuse," said Canan Karatekin, a professor of the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. "These things go together."

Huff took on the role of protector of her younger siblings. It carried its own burden.

During the summer before fifth grade, she says, she remembers holding one of her sisters in her lap as another was rushed to the hospital after the first of several suicide attempts. "I had to grow up fast and be a second mom to my siblings," she says. "It made me stronger. ... I was determined not to be like my sister or my mother."

But that was nearly impossible.

Huff and her mother say domestic violence spans generations in their family.

Denise Boyd was caring for a year-old daughter while she was pregnant with Huff at 21. Boyd was having a breakdown, she says, after years living with the abusive father of her children.

The father could not be reached for comment. He was never charged with a crime against Boyd.

Boyd's mother went to take her home to Georgia. Once in her parents' home, Boyd says, she rarely went out. On rare occasions when she did, she would hide on the floor of the family car. "I felt like I wasn't the same anymore," Boyd said. "I didn't know what was happening to me."

Huff was born in August 1979. As a little girl, she developed a speech disorder. In eighth grade, Huff says, she was so anxious she tried to run away. She was sent briefly to a juvenile detention facility.

David Murphey, director of the Child Trends DataBank, describes domestic violence as a type of toxic stress linked to health problems later in life. Domestic violence rewires the brain, he said, harming executive function - "the ability to weigh options and make well-considered choices."

How can communities best address abuse?

Detecting, treating and preventing exposure to domestic abuse are the keys to reducing it, specialists say.

She says health care professionals should create a safe space for patients, don't judge or blame, and avoid using the word "abuse."

"Most people, when they hear the word 'abuse,' they automatically think physical violence," Glenn said. "The abuse may be emotional abuse only - but that can be extremely damaging to people's health."

She asks questions such as "Does your partner support you?" And "Do you ever find that your partner is constantly checking up on you when you're not together and almost interrogating you at times?" If she suspects abuse, she says, she offers resources such as information for an advocate or safe place.

Specialists say screening alone is not enough. "Screening is the great first step, but it's only a first step," said Jess Bartlett, a trauma researcher with Child Trends. "Too often we look at what kids have experienced, but not how they function." She says health care providers should look at children's needs, and whether the community has the resources to respond.

Murphey agrees. "Unless there are adequate networks of services and referral practices to follow the results up," he said, "what you're doing is you're really setting up an unfortunate situation where you know you've got lots of problems but you don't have services in place yet to respond to them."

With treatment, researchers wrote in a report for the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, children exposed to early trauma including domestic violence can overcome the experiences without developing stress-related disorders.

Often the support of parents, friends, family and school can help alleviate the effects of stress and trauma in children, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

"A strong relationship with a caring, nonviolent parent is one of the most important factors in helping children grow in a positive way despite their experiences," the group wrote in a 2014 report.

But Huth-Bocks said the parents she works with are often "preoccupied keeping everyone alive and can't always be the most sensitive parent.

"There's bigger fish to fry."

Huff says it was a violent world that her twins entered in July 2014.

She says the father was holding the boy two days after their birth when he took a swing at her. The girl was the crib behind Huff, she says. She says she had to hold onto the crib to keep it from falling.

The father, Ignacio Ramirez Vallejo, denies her account. "It never happened," he told USA TODAY. He was not charged in the alleged incident. "I've been in court many times," he said. "Latrelle tried to accuse me for many different things. We were together almost seven years. They never find me guilty."

Ramirez Vallejo says he did not sexually assault Huff.

His lawyer, A.J. Balbo, gave USA TODAY copies of letters he says Huff wrote to Ramirez Vallejo two years before the twins' birth saying she wanted to have children with him. "Everything they say about me is not true," Ignacio Ramirez said. "I'm a Christian."

Jeanne Fell, a nurse practitioner who specializes in neurology and has treated Huff's twins, says the pregnancy was about as complicated as they come. Huff had severe vomiting during much of the pregnancy and required intravenous medication. A cesarean section was scheduled at 37 weeks. A typical pregnancy lasts 40.

"It's been pure chaos since these kids have been born," Fell said. "She does her very best, but certainly there are limits to how much she can give of herself to the children."

Both babies were poor eaters, Fell says. The boy had hyptonia, or floppy baby syndrome, which can be caused by nerve or brain damage. He's now on a powerful antipsychotic drug to help with aggression or and self injury, a review of his medical records show. Fell said he's "done really well and is much more calm," but if he goes off the drug, she said, he hits others and tries to escape.

Huff has been getting reports from her daughter's school, including one reviewed by USA TODAY from October in which she was described as "extra tearful today" and accused of "mooning" several other children.

Neither child sleeps more than five hours a night, Huff says. Before he started on his current medication, Huff's son rarely slept more than three hours.

Huff has a master's degree in mental health counseling and is pursuing a second master's in social work. She recently lost her job as an armed security guard after missing work to attend to her children's health appointments She's now looking for a job in mental health case work.

An undocumented immigrant, Ramirez-Vallejo was apprehended in Savannah not long after President Donald Trump took office, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman said. His case is pending in immigration court. He has argued he should be allowed to stay in this country because he has children here. He sees the children every other weekend for two full days, but is not allowed to spend the night with them.

Huff says she tries to focus on the future.

"My dream is for my children to not grow up in a dysfunctional family, as I did and as their father did," she said. "I want both children to feel safe and to be able to grow in an environment where they will be successful, stable and happy.

"The new generation needs an opportunity to live life without continuing the cycle."
If you or your child is experiencing domestic violence and/or mental health problems:

Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or online

Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255

Visit the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to learn about resources and treatment.

Reporting for this article was supported by the Fund for Journalism on Child Well-Being, a program of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.
If you are interested in connecting with people online who have overcome or are struggling with issues mentioned in this story, join USA TODAY's "I Survived It" Facebook support group.

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The startling toll on children who witness domestic violence is just now being understood

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New research is giving scientists more insight into the far-reaching and long-lasting harms of domestic violence to the children who grow up around it - including a startling finding: Witnessing abuse carries the same risk of harm to children's mental health and learning as being abused directly.

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https://www.swhd.org/programs/health-and-development/birth-to-five-helpline/

This website helps parents that just had a child or anyone struggling with parenting. It not only provides advices, but also services to assist regarding development.

http://circleofparents.org/

This website allows for parents to speak with other experiences about parents. It is a place to a gather to share advices, concerns, and stories no matter how much parenting one has.

https://parentaid.org/

This website assists with creating monthly plans and tracking development of a child. It gives a bunch of tips and advices for parentings. It also provides nearby workshops or online activities to engage with your child.

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Call 877-705-KIDS (5437) for Free Child Development Support

The Birth to Five Helpline is a free service open to all Arizona families with young children looking for the latest child development information from experts in the field. Professionals may also take advantage of this service.

Call the Helpline to speak with one of our bilingual (English/Spanish) early childhood specialists, on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. You can also leave a voicemail, complete our online contact form (below), or text the Helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Virtual video consultation services are also available.

Introduced in 2005, the Birth to Five Helpline combines sensitive, supportive listening with sound information from professionals who have expertise in early childhood development and parenting/caregiving. Each child and family are unique. We collaborate with callers to understand their specific concern and align with each family's own parenting values, traditions and style.

Topics addressed include, but are not limited to:

By calling the Helpline, you can also access support as needed from Southwest Human Development's wide range of early childhood development staff, including psychologists, master's level counselors, registered nurses, disabilities specialists, early literacy specialists and occupational, speech/language and physical therapists. In addition to providing you with counseling and resource/referral information, we send individualized child development information as applicable.

Download the Birth to Five Helpline app!

Now, you can have the support of the Birth to Five Helpline at the touch of your fingers! Download our Birth to Five Helpline app in the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Just open the app on your phone and one-touch call, text or email our Helpline early childhood specialists.

Fussy Baby Program

An extension of the Birth to Five Helpline is the Fussy Baby program. This program provides telephone, home visiting and virtual video consultation and support to help families navigate challenges associated with hard-to-soothe infants, excessive crying, sleeping problems and feeding difficulties during their child's first year of life.
Click here for more information about the Fussy Baby program
For Professionals

If you are a child care provider, preschool provider, quality improvement specialist or any professional who works with young children ages birth to 5 and are looking for consultation or resource information, contact the Birth to Five Helpline at 877-705-KIDS (5437). If you would like to submit a question for the Birth to Five Helpline online, please complete the form below and an early childhood expert will contact you.

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Birth to Five Helpline - Southwest Human Development

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The Birth to Five Helpline is a free service open to all Arizona families with young children looking for the latest child development information from experts in the field. Professionals may also take advantage of this service. Call the Helpline to speak with one of our bilingual (English/Spanish) early childhood specialists, on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m.

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https://www.thecapcenter.org/help/prevent-or-report-abuse/preventing-child-abuse
I chose this link because it provides five important steps that teachers can take if they sense a child is being abused.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/prevention.html
I chose this link because it discusses what childhood trauma can look like in an adult and how we can prevent it from happening.

https://friendsnrc.org/prevention/what-is-prevention-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/
I chose this link because it discusses what child abuse it and ways that we can prevent it.

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Child abuse and neglect are serious problems that can have lasting harmful effects on victims. CDC's goal is to stop child abuse and neglect from happening in the first place.

Child abuse and neglect are complex problems rooted in unhealthy relationships and environments. Preventing child abuse and neglect requires addressing risk and protective factors at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.

CDC developed a resource, Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Resource for Action [4 MB, 50 Pages] to help states and communities use the best available evidence to prevent and reduce child abuse and neglect. This resource is available in English and Spanish [21 MB, 52 Pages, 508] and can impact individual behaviors and the relationship, family, school, community, and societal factors that influence risk and protective factors for violence. Effective prevention strategies focus on modifying policies, practices, and societal norms to create safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. The strategies and their corresponding approaches are presented in the table below.

Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
Intervene to lessen harms and prevent future risk

Enhanced primary care

Behavioral parent training programs

Treatment to lessen harms of abuse and neglect exposure

Treatment to prevent problem behavior and later involvement in violence

See Child Abuse and Neglect Resources for more publications, data sources, and other resources about preventing child abuse and neglect.

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Effective prevention strategies are necessary to promote awareness about child maltreatment and to foster commitment to social change.

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All of these resources provide information on how to determine the signs and symptoms of childhood trauma, what the effects are if the child was once in a traumatic experience, as well as strategies caregivers can use to help support the child and their families.
- Ashley Brennan

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Supporting Wisconsin's Kinship and Foster Children Are you raising someone else's child? Get help here. Do you want to advocate for kids in foster care? Volunteer. Supporting Wisconsin's Kinship and [...]

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This site is a good resource for child abuse prevention. It talks about kids' mental health and physical health. It also has tips for parents to help them de stress and to help them be a positive parent.

https://www.nctsn.org/resources

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network site has information on Traumatic stress in children and has training articles on traumatic stress in children. This is a good reason for parents to help kids with traumatic stress.

https://childcrisisaz.org/what-we-do/education-and-tools-for-families/classes-workshops/

Child crisis Az has information on parenting tips and free classes on parenting. They also do family activity events. They also have info on Children shelter, fostering/adoption, and counseling.

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Resources For Parents - National Children's Advocacy Center

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The birth to five helpline is a parent recourse to help with any questions parents my have about their child. Parents can call 877-705-KIDS (5437) and always have an early childhood expert available for whatever support they may need. After talking they can also help parents get outside help for any issues they may be having.

-Elizabeth Scott

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Young children don't come with an instruction manual. You're going to have questions. There will be times when you can use some advice. Sometimes you just need someone to listen. The Birth to Five Helpline is here to help.

Call or Click

The Birth to Five Helpline is a free service available to all Arizona families with young children, as well as parents-to-be, with questions or concerns about their infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Call to speak with an early childhood specialist, on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. You can also leave a voicemail or submit your question online anytime.

The Helpline is staffed by early childhood development specialists, registered nurses, disabilities specialists, early literacy specialists and mental health counselors.

You can ask about anything, including:

Sleep

Feeding/Eating

Fussiness

Tantrums/Challenging Behaviors

Potty Training

Child Development

Health and Nutrition

Parenting

Early care and education professionals may also take advantage of this free service.

The Birth to Five Helpline is operated by Southwest Human Development, Inc., with support from First Things First.

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The Birth to Five Helpline is a free service available to all Arizona families with young children, as well as parents-to-be, with questions about their infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Call the Helpline to speak with an early childhood specialist, on duty Mon. - Fri. from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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This article has different strategies for helping parents and families prevent different types of child abuse.

-Elizabeth Scott

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Department of Children, Youth & Families

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Volunteer your time. Get involved with other parents in your community. Help vulnerable children and their families. Start a playgroup. Discipline your children thoughtfully. Never discipline your child when you are upset. Give yourself time to calm down. Remember that discipline is a way to teach your child.

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This is an article to help parents understand how a trauma can effect a child's development. As well as their overall health.

-Elizabeth Scott

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The Kids Are Not All Right: How Trauma Affects Development - Focus for Health

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Developmental Trauma Disorder is a new phrase used for children growing up with seriously adverse symptoms, like those seen in combat veterans with PTSD.

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This website explains the many forms of child abuse such as physical, sexual, emotional and medical abuse along with neglect. It provides helpful lists of symptoms for each category along with risk factors for these children in the long run. In the end it informs about prevention which is a major factor in the article. It also provides numbers to call in case you seek help.
-Citlalli Gomez

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Any intentional harm or mistreatment to a child under 18 years old is considered child abuse. Child abuse takes many forms, which often occur at the same time.

Physical abuse. Physical child abuse occurs when a child is purposely physically injured or put at risk of harm by another person.

Sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse is any sexual activity with a child. This can involve sexual contact, such as intentional sexual touching, oral-genital contact or intercourse. This can also involve noncontact sexual abuse of a child, such as exposing a child to sexual activity or pornography; observing or filming a child in a sexual manner; sexual harassment of a child; or prostitution of a child, including sex trafficking.

Emotional abuse. Emotional child abuse means injuring a child's self-esteem or emotional well-being. It includes verbal and emotional assault - such as continually belittling or berating a child - as well as isolating, ignoring or rejecting a child.

Medical abuse. Medical child abuse occurs when someone gives false information about illness in a child that requires medical attention, putting the child at risk of injury and unnecessary medical care.

Neglect. Child neglect is failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, clean living conditions, affection, supervision, education, or dental or medical care.

In many cases, child abuse is done by someone the child knows and trusts - often a parent or other relative. If you suspect child abuse, report the abuse to the proper authorities.

A child who's being abused may feel guilty, ashamed or confused. The child may be afraid to tell anyone about the abuse, especially if the abuser is a parent, other relative or family friend. That's why it's vital to watch for red flags, such as:

Specific signs and symptoms depend on the type of abuse and can vary. Keep in mind that warning signs are just that - warning signs. The presence of warning signs doesn't necessarily mean that a child is being abused.

Physical abuse signs and symptoms

Unexplained injuries, such as bruises, broken bones (fractures) or burns

Injuries that don't match the given explanation

Injuries that aren't compatible with the child's developmental ability

Sexual abuse signs and symptoms

Sexual behavior or knowledge that's inappropriate for the child's age

Pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection

Genital or anal pain, bleeding, or injury

Statements by the child that he or she was sexually abused

Inappropriate sexual behavior with other children

Emotional abuse signs and symptoms

Neglect signs and symptoms

Poor growth

Excessive weight with medical complications that are not being adequately addressed

Poor personal cleanliness

Lack of clothing or supplies to meet physical needs

Hoarding or stealing food

Poor record of school attendance

Lack of appropriate attention for medical, dental or psychological problems or lack of necessary follow-up care

Parental behavior

Sometimes a parent's demeanor or behavior sends red flags about child abuse. Warning signs include a parent who:

Shows little concern for the child

Appears unable to recognize physical or emotional distress in the child

Blames the child for the problems

Consistently belittles or berates the child, and describes the child with negative terms, such as "worthless" or "evil"

Expects the child to provide attention and care to the parent and seems jealous of other family members getting attention from the child

Uses harsh physical discipline

Demands an inappropriate level of physical or academic performance

Severely limits the child's contact with others

Offers conflicting or unconvincing explanations for a child's injuries or no explanation at all

Repeatedly brings the child for medical evaluations or requests medical tests, such as X-rays and lab tests, for concerns not seen during the health care provider's examination

Physical punishment

Child health experts condemn the use of violence in any form, but some people still use physical punishment, such as spanking, to discipline their children. While parents and caregivers often use physical punishment with the intention of helping their children or making their behavior better, research shows that spanking is linked with worse, not better, behavior. It's also linked to mental health problems, difficult relationships with parents, lower self-esteem and lower academic performance.

Any physical punishment may leave emotional scars. Parental behaviors that cause pain, physical injury or emotional trauma - even when done in the name of discipline - could be child abuse.

If you're concerned that your child or another child has been abused, seek help immediately. Depending on the situation, contact the child's health care provider, a local child welfare agency, the police department or a 24-hour hotline for advice. In the United States, you can get information and assistance by calling or texting the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.

If the child needs immediate medical attention, call 911 or your local emergency number.

In the United States, keep in mind that health care professionals and many other people, such as teachers and social workers, are legally required to report all suspected cases of child abuse to the appropriate local child welfare agency.

Some children overcome the physical and psychological effects of child abuse, particularly those with strong social support and resiliency skills who can adapt and cope with bad experiences. For many others, however, child abuse may result in physical, behavioral, emotional or mental health issues - even years later.

Here are some examples.

Physical issues

Premature death

Physical disabilities

Learning disabilities

Substance abuse

Health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease and cancer

Emotional issues

Low self-esteem

Difficulty establishing or maintaining relationships

Challenges with intimacy and trust

An unhealthy view of parenthood

Inability to cope with stress and frustrations

An acceptance that violence is a normal part of relationships

You can take important steps to protect your child from exploitation and child abuse, as well as prevent child abuse in your neighborhood or community. The goal is to provide safe, stable, nurturing relationships for children.

Here's how you can help keep children safe:

Offer your child love and attention. Nurture and listen to your child and be involved in your child's life to develop trust and good communication. Encourage your child to tell you if there's a problem. A supportive family environment and social networks can help improve your child's feelings of self-esteem and self-worth.

Don't respond in anger. If you feel overwhelmed or out of control, take a break. Don't take out your anger on your child. Talk with your health care provider or a therapist about ways you can learn to cope with stress and better interact with your child.

Think supervision. Don't leave a young child home alone. In public, keep a close eye on your child. Volunteer at school and for activities to get to know the adults who spend time with your child. When old enough to go out without supervision, encourage your child to stay away from strangers and to hang out with friends rather than be alone. Make it a rule that your child tells you where he or she is at all times. Find out who's supervising your child - for example, at a sleepover.

Know your child's caregivers. Check references for babysitters and other caregivers. Make irregular, but frequent, unannounced visits to observe what's happening. Don't allow substitutes for your usual child care provider if you don't know the substitute.

Emphasize when to say no. Make sure your child understands that he or she doesn't have to do anything that seems scary or uncomfortable. Encourage your child to leave a threatening or frightening situation immediately and seek help from a trusted adult. If something happens, encourage your child to talk to you or another trusted adult about what happened. Assure your child that it's OK to talk and that he or she won't get in trouble.

Teach your child how to stay safe online. Put the computer in a common area of your home, not the child's bedroom. Use the parental controls to restrict the types of websites your child can visit. Check your child's privacy settings on social networking sites. Consider it a red flag if your child is secretive about online activities.

Cover online ground rules, such as not sharing personal information; not responding to inappropriate, hurtful or frightening messages; and not arranging to meet an online contact in person without your permission. Tell your child to let you know if an unknown person makes contact through a social networking site. Report online harassment or inappropriate senders to your service provider and local authorities, if necessary.

Reach out. Meet the families in your neighborhood, including parents and children. Develop a network of supportive family and friends. If a friend or neighbor seems to be struggling, offer to babysit or help in another way. Consider joining a parent support group so that you have an appropriate place to vent your frustrations.

If you worry that you might abuse your child

If you're concerned that you might abuse your child, seek help immediately. In the United States, you can get information and assistance by calling or texting the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

Or you can start by talking with your family health care provider. Your provider may offer a referral to a parent education class, counseling or a support group for parents to help you learn appropriate ways to deal with your anger. If you're misusing alcohol or drugs, ask your health care provider about treatment options.

If you were abused as a child, get counseling to ensure you don't continue the abuse cycle or teach those destructive behaviors to your child.

Remember, child abuse is preventable - and often a symptom of a problem that may be treatable. Ask for help today.

1. AskMayoExpert. Child abuse. Mayo Clinic; 2021.

2. Overview of child maltreatment (child abuse). Merck Manual Professional Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/pediatrics/child-maltreatment/overview-of-child-maltreatment#. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

3. Trauma and child abuse resource center: Frequently asked questions. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://www.aacap.org/aacap/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Child_Abuse_Resource_Center/FAQ.aspx#question1. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

4. Preventing child abuse and neglect. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

5. Preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): Leveraging the best available evidence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/82316. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

6. Child maltreatment surveillance: Uniform definitions for public health and recommended data elements. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11493. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

7. Violence prevention: Risk and protective factors. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/riskprotectivefactors.html. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

8. Long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect. Child Welfare Information Gateway. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long-term-consequences/. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

9. How to report child abuse and neglect. Child Welfare Information Gateway. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/responding/reporting/how/. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

10. Keeping children safe online. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/keeping-children-safe-online. Accessed Jan. 13, 2022.

11. Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention: Abuse and neglect. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2013. https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org. Accessed Jan. 13, 2022.

12. Boos SC. Physical child abuse: Recognition. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

13. Child neglect: Evaluation and management. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Jan. 12, 2022.

14. Health Education & Content Services (Patient Education). Talking to your child about safe and unsafe touch. Mayo Clinic; 2021.

15. Handling child abuse disclosures. Childhelp. https://www.childhelp.org/what-is-child-abuse/handling-child-abuse-disclosures/. Accessed Jan. 14, 2022.

16. Zeanah CH, et al. Child abuse and neglect. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2018; doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2018.06.007.

17. Cohen JA, et al. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and families. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2022; doi:10.1016/j.chc.2021.05.001.

18. Child-parent psychotherapy. Youth.gov. https://youth.gov/content/child%25E2%2580%2593parent-psychotherapy. Accessed Jan. 14, 2022.

19. Sege RD, et al. Effective discipline to raise healthy children. Pediatrics. 2018; doi:10.1542/peds.2018-3112.

20. Derauf DC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Jan. 28, 2022.

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Learn the signs of child abuse and how to get help-Child abuse - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic

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Child abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional and medical abuse, as well as neglect. Learn about signs, risk factors, how to get help and prevention.

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This is a helpful website because it first off explains what type of child abuse there is. Not only that but it explains who causes it, what signs a child gives and what one should do when dealing with this. It’s overall a very informative website that can provide insight to those who have children dealing with this issue.
-Citlalli Gomez

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What Is Child Abuse?

Child abuse happens when someone caring for a child hurts a child's feelings or body. It can happen to boys or girls in any family. Often, hurt feelings (or emotional trauma) last long after a hurt body has healed.

Knowing the dangers of abuse and what to do if you suspect it is key to keeping all children safe.

What Are the Types of Child Abuse?

Physical abuse is when a child's body has been hurt. Hitting hard with a hand or an object like a belt can leave bruises or cuts and cause pain. Shaking, pushing, choking, punching, painful grabbing, and kicking also can be physical abuse.

Sexual abuse is sexual contact (like sexual acts) or non-contact sexual activities (like taking or sharing sexual photos and sexual talk) between:

an adult and someone younger than 18

an older child or teen and a much younger child

one person who has power over another, no matter their ages

Most cases of sexual abuse involve a close trusted adult or family member who abuses the child's trust. Often, the child is pressured or talked into the activity, offered gifts, or asked to keep secrets, not physically forced into it.

Neglect is when an adult doesn't do what is needed to take care of a child. This means not giving the child enough:

food, housing or clothing

medical care

supervision

attention (called emotional neglect, when a child is ignored)

education/schooling

Emotional abuse (or psychological abuse) happens when adults caring for a child judge, threaten, put down or reject kids or teens, withholding love so the child feels bad about themselves or worthless.

Substance abuse, when adults use drugs or too much alcohol, can put a child in danger. It can cause adults to neglect, physically, sexually, or emotional hurt a child. When adults use drugs or overuse alcohol around a child, many state laws say this is child abuse, even if no one neglected or physically hurt the child.

In some states, it's child abuse if:

adults let a child drink alcohol or take illegal drugs

adults make, take, or sell illegal drugs in the presence of a child

a woman uses illegal drugs while pregnant

Medical child abuse is when adult caregivers harm a child with too much medical care, such as medicines, appointments, surgeries, or lab tests that are not needed.

Who Causes Child Abuse?

There is not one type of person who causes child abuse. Most of the time a child knows the abuser well. Sometimes people who abuse children were abused when they were children.

Sometimes, people who abuse kids can show some signs. For example, parents who abuse their children may:

Always talk negatively about the child or call the child worthless.

Try to keep the child away from others.

Have a hard time talking about their children's injuries or behavioral problems.

Show little concern or affection for the child.

What Are the Signs of Child Abuse?

Kids and teens often have a hard time speaking up about abuse. So knowing the signs of child abuse can help.

Kids who are being abused might:

have frequent bruises, especially in places kids don't usually get bruises from play

have stories to explain injuries that don't make sense or keep changing

not want to go home

avoid being with the abuser

avoid being with others

show signs of emotional trauma, like fear, anger, or trouble relating to or trusting others

be sad or depressed

bully others

hurt themselves, like cutting

have nightmares or trouble sleeping

act out in class, have trouble paying attention, or be hyperactive

Kids who see abuse (but are not the victims themselves) or see violence between adults caring for them sometimes show similar signs.

These signs don't always point to abuse. Kids going through stressful times - like their parents' separation or divorce, a move, or the death of a loved one - also might be sad, angry, or withdrawn. But if physical signs (like bruises) happen along with behavior problems, that's a stronger sign of abuse.

What Should I Do if I Suspect Child Abuse?

If you think a child is being abused or a child tells you about abuse, contact your local:

child protective services agency

police

hospital

You also can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). You don't have to give your name.

You might not be sure of the abuse, but having a concern is enough. The authorities will look into things and find out if abuse is happening. It is better to report and have no abuse found than to not act on your concern while a child continues to be hurt.

Never threaten a person or take the law into your own hands. Let the legal system do its work.

If you are worried that you might hurt a child in your care, make sure the child is somewhere safe, and then speak with a friend, relative, or health care professional. You also can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). You might just need someone to talk to or you may want to seek counseling.

What Else Should I Know?

Not all suspicions of child abuse turn out to be true. But all deserve serious attention and fast action.

The earlier abuse is identified and stopped, the earlier medical care, therapy, and counseling can help children and families heal.

So if you suspect abuse, speak up. If a child tells you about abuse, take it seriously. All children deserve to be heard, protected, and helped.

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Child abuse - whether it's physical, sexual, emotional, medical, or another type - can harm kids in many ways. Learn how to spot the signs of child abuse.

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FRIENDS is a website that focuses on primary and secondary prevention. They also provide training on topics such as community collaborations, Parent engagement and leadership and Child and Family Service Plans.

—Citlalli Gomez

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What areas of prevention do FRIENDS' services focus on?

FRIENDS' services focus on primary and secondary prevention and targeted training and technical assistance on a variety of topic areas. FRIENDS offers T/TA in areas such as:

Evidence-informed and evidence-based programs and practices in child abuse and neglect prevention

Program planning and implementation

Public awareness programs and initiatives

Community collaboration, networking, and collective impact

Parent engagement and leadership

Peer review, program self-assessment, and outcome evaluation

Collaboration with child welfare systems change efforts such as Program Improvement Plans, Child and Family Service Plans, Annual Progress and Services Reports and the Family First Prevention Services Act

Respite and crisis nurseries programs

Outreach to special populations including diverse and underrepresented groups

Maximizing and leveraging funds

This list is just an example of services in T/TA that FRIENDS can offer and state lead agencies and set-aside grantees should contact their FRIENDS T/TA Coordinator to discuss a plan that is individualized for your needs.

What other services does FRIENDS provide?

In addition to on-site T/TA, FRIENDS offers a targeted listserve to share information effectively with states and other prevention partners, a comprehensive website with a variety of information relevant to the prevention community, an Online Learning Center that provides high-quality subject-specific training free of charge, and participation in national, state, and regional training to help share information and best practices.

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FRIENDS' services focus on primary and secondary prevention and targeted training and technical assistance on a variety of topic areas.

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The National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect (EndCAN) raises awareness of the health, mental health and public health impacts of abuse.

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Arizona's Children Coalition provides children through martial arts to heal from their trauma. They create a safe environment by providing physical activities and mental health stability.

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Sign up for Frys Community Rewards and a portion will be donated to Arizona's Children Coalition.

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This is an excellent resource because it helps families understand how to protect their children. It also gives resources to families that have children that were abused.

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Throughout the pandemic, many have been worried about children, especially those children who lack protective adults in their lives. The best way to prevent child abuse and to protect children, is to support their families cope with stress. Prevent Child Abuse Arizona encourages you to check in with families in the ways that you can.
View in English View in Spanish

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Prevent Child Abuse Arizona - Prevent Child Abuse Arizona

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Throughout the pandemic, many have been worried about children, especially those children who lack protective adults in their lives. The best way to prevent child abuse and to protect children, is to support their families cope with stress. Prevent Child Abuse Arizona encourages you to check in with families in the ways that you can.

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https://childmind.org/school-and-community/trauma-response/
This resource is about not changing what children and families have went through, but allowing for schools and the community to come together and help each other heal and grow. It provides families and the community additional resources to help further success in healing.

https://theimagineproject.org/important-tools-to-help-children-build-resilience-through-stressful-times/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3fiPBhCCARIsAFQ8QzX4mF-OsUr7Zrue7dhJoOI7SOqZM_418YlZ0VdPwG54pZ7VWyryvPEaAh9TEALw_wcB
This resource is all about providing families with tips and advice on how to help children learn resilience. They give advice on helping children express how they feel, help children release negative emotions, and help children practice mindfulness. Also, different types of tools families can use as well such as GoNoodle.com.

https://strongfamiliesaz.com/the-parenting-brief/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3fiPBhCCARIsAFQ8QzXWDODeq9hQEk-hoEWW3VZ6PM_TUj3fljvViiwS3OxH31-I9s-e87oaAi7-EALw_wcB
This resource contains links to podcasts that include insights from different kinds of parenting and real conversations between parents that help new families or families that need help with supporting behaviors.

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School and Community Programs

Trauma Response

The Child Mind Institute stands ready to support schools and communities in the aftermath of traumatic events.

Download trauma resources in multiple languages

When tragedy strikes, school and community leaders are often charged with helping children in their recovery. While we can't protect children from trauma and grief, we can help them express their feelings, comfort them, help them feel safer and teach them healthy ways to cope with their fears.

Clinicians from the Child Mind Institute are available to provide phone consultations to schools and communities across the country that have been affected by scary and upsetting events, such as a natural disaster, school shooting, loss of a loved one or community violence. These consultations are designed to empower school and community leaders with information to encourage a healthy recovery in their community.

Contact Taylor Barkee at Taylor.Barkee@childmind.org or call 646.625.4250 to learn how the Child Mind Institute may be able to support your community.

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Download trauma resources in multiple languages When tragedy strikes, school and community leaders are often charged with helping children in their recovery. While we can't protect children from trauma and grief, we can help them express their feelings, comfort them, help them feel safer and teach them healthy ways to cope with their fears.

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https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/understanding-child-trauma
I chose this link because i feel like the more we know about childhood trauma, the more knowledge and support we can give to those who need it.

https://www.parent.com/blogs/conversations/7-signs-youre-an-awesome-parent

Being a parent isn’t always easy and sometimes we second guess ourselves. Taking a step back and seeing the good that you do is important.

https://www.preventchildabusenc.org/online-trainings/

I feel like this is a helpful link because not only is it informative about child abuse prevention but it also offers free training on how to potentially stop child abuse from happening.

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Fast Facts

At least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year, and this is likely an underestimate. In 2019, 1,840 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States.

Each day, more than 1,000 youth are treated in emergency departments for physical assault-related injuries.

In 2019, about 1 in 5 high school students reported being bullied on school property in the last year.

8% of high school students had been in a physical fight on school property one or more times during the 12 months before the survey.

Each day, about 14 youth die from homicide, and more than 1,300 are treated in emergency departments for violence-related injuries.
It's important to recognize the signs of traumatic stress and its short- and long-term impact.
The signs of traumatic stress may be different in each child. Young children may react differently than older children.

Preschool Children

Fear being separated from their parent/caregiver

Cry or scream a lot

Eat poorly or lose weight

Have nightmares

Elementary School Children

Become anxious or fearful

Feel guilt or shame

Have a hard time concentrating

Have difficulty sleeping

Middle and High School Children

Feel depressed or alone

Develop eating disorders or self-harming behaviors

Begin abusing alcohol or drugs

Become involved in risky sexual behavior

The Body's Alarm System

Everyone has an alarm system in their body that is designed to keep them safe from harm. When activated, this tool prepares the body to fight or run away. The alarm can be activated at any perceived sign of trouble and leave kids feeling scared, angry, irritable, or even withdrawn.

Healthy Steps Kids Can Take to Respond to the Alarm

Recognize what activates the alarm and how their body reacts

Decide whether there is real trouble and seek help from a trusted adult

Practice deep breathing and other relaxation methods

Impact of Trauma

The impact of child traumatic stress can last well beyond childhood. In fact, research has shown that child trauma survivors may experience:

Learning problems, including lower grades and more suspensions and expulsions

Increased use of health and mental health services

Increase involvement with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems

Long-term health problems (e.g., diabetes and heart disease)

Trauma is a risk factor for nearly all behavioral health and substance use disorders.
There is hope. Children can and do recover from traumatic events, and you can play an important role in their recovery.
A critical part of children's recovery is having a supportive caregiving system, access to effective treatments, and service systems that are trauma informed.

Get Help Now
SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Get Help Now Healthcare Toolbox: Basics of Trauma-Informed Care
Not all children experience child traumatic stress after experiencing a traumatic event. With support, many children are able to recover and thrive.

As a caring adult and/or family member, you play an important role.

Remember To:

Assure the child that he or she is safe.

Explain that he or she is not responsible. Children often blame themselves for events that are completely out of their control.

Be patient. Some children will recover quickly while others recover more slowly. Reassure them that they do not need to feel guilty or bad about any feelings or thoughts.

Seek the help of a trained professional. When needed, a mental health professional trained in evidence-based trauma treatment can help children and families cope and move toward recovery. Ask your pediatrician, family physician, school counselor, or clergy member for a referral.

Visit the following websites for more information:

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Recognize the signs of child traumatic stress and the impact that trauma may have on children. The infographic developed by SAMHSA's National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCSTI) provides information on the prevalence and impact of traumatic events on children, and what actions can be taken to support children who experience traumatic events.

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How To Recognize If Your Childhood Trauma Is Affecting You As An Adult (& How To Heal)

This article was originally published by Your Tango.
The past doesn't always stay where it should.
If you experienced childhood trauma, it may come as a surprise that the traumatic problems you had when you were little are still present when you're an adult.

You may worry that your childhood trauma will ruin your happiness, relationships, or even other professional areas of your life. Perhaps you don't know where to start to learn how to heal.

You haven't been feeling yourself lately. And you've been wondering: Are you suffering from unresolved childhood trauma? You thought it was over.

But could your trauma be leaking into your adult life, making you feel everything is turned upside down? If that's so, why now?

"Why now?" probably seems like the sixty-million dollar question. You've done your best to move on. Even successfully blocked it out most of the time.

But lately, you've started to feel anxious again. Sometimes on the verge of panic. Depressed feelings are beginning to take over. Maybe you even feel like withdrawing into a shell.

How could your trauma be unresolved? What is this about?
What is unresolved trauma?
Maybe you've heard this term, but what exactly is "unresolved trauma" anyway? You've told yourself it's all in the past and you've moved on. Isn't that enough?

Maybe you've had therapy, too. How could you still be suffering?

When you've been traumatized as a child, it lives deep inside you. You could even say it settles in your bones.

The memories, even if pushed away and not conscious, are etched into your symptoms, in your relationship struggles, and into your not-good self-esteem.

Many traumatized children feel they've always been on their own and do the best they can to work things out for themselves.

The problem is, there's only so much you can do all by yourself. That's why the deepest effects of childhood trauma often go "unresolved."

You might ask: "Even if I've had therapy?"

Sadly, yes. Many therapists aren't experts in childhood trauma, and that's what you need to be reached at the core of your early experiences.

There is no template for working out unresolved childhood trauma. You have your own experiences and these have affected you in your own particular way.

The roots of your childhood trauma, unfortunately, stay unresolved. Those symptoms might go underground for a while. But stress that causes an emotional upheaval, or an event that serves as too close a reminder of your earlier trauma can put you back into the original experiences.
Why "the past" isn't always the past.
Although your trauma is technically "in the past," traumatizing experiences in childhood can't be laid to rest until the ways they live on in your current experiences, symptoms, and relationships are deeply understood.

Freud said we have a "compulsion to repeat," even if we try not to. That's why you might find yourself in relationships that remind you of those that traumatized you in the past.

There are many different forms your symptoms or behaviors might take. Again, these are very individual to you. The important thing is: The past is never "just" the past.

Until you've had help working out exactly how the roots of your past are alive in the present, your childhood trauma can remain "unresolved."
What causes trauma in childhood?
Sometimes - as in physical or sexual abuse - trauma is quite obvious. But there are many kinds of childhood trauma that you might not identify as trauma at all.

Neglect is also traumatic, and so is the loss of a parent, a serious childhood illness, a learning disability that left you doubting yourself, too many siblings, a detached, emotionally unavailable, or anxious parent, even your parent's own childhood trauma.

Maybe you experienced a combination of these: neglect, loss of a parent, serious childhood illness, a learning disability, too many siblings, detached, emotionally unavailable, or anxious parents, your parents had childhood trauma.

Childhood neglect means that your emotional or physical needs were not attended to. This may be because your parents were overwhelmed and preoccupied.

Or because of the mental illness of one or both - making them expect you to be the "parent," take care of the other kids, or do many more household chores than any child should.

Whatever was the cause, your needs for nurturing and care went unseen, were pushed aside, or were greatly resented. A child should never be exploited because of a parent's needs.

A child's emotional and physical needs should come first. If yours did not, you experienced neglect.

Losing a parent to death or abandonment early in your life is a trauma. No matter how nurtured you were by other relatives or your remaining parent, this kind of loss runs deep.

If your sadness wasn't seen or heard or allowed, then that loss lives on even more significantly inside you. You needed (or may still need) a chance to mourn.

Because you learned much too early that a needed loved one can suddenly go away or be taken away. You grow up afraid of loss.

Even if you lost your parent in your early 20s, this is a vulnerable time. You may fear closeness because closeness and need signify possible loss.

Most unresolved childhood trauma affects self-esteem and creates anxiety.

Did you suffer a serious childhood illness? If so, you were likely isolated at home or hospitalized.

This meant being removed from normal social activities and you probably felt lonely, maybe even worried about being different.

Maybe now you feel less socially confident because of it and find yourself not sure where you fit in.

Hospitalization also means separation from parents, often traumatizing medical procedures, and frequently fear. This can leave you with anxiety that persists.

If your attachments to your parents were secure and they were available and supportive, that helps. If not, you may now feel insecure in important relationships.

If you struggled to learn, had dyslexia, or ADHD, or any other learning problem, you likely felt different or compared yourself unfavorably to the other kids.

Learning problems are particularly difficult to live with if they went undiagnosed and you didn't get sufficient help. Even very smart kids end up thinking they aren't smart at all.

This has a very negative impact on your self-image. You might have tried very hard to do better and better, struggling against challenges you couldn't control. Or maybe you gave in and gave up.

Either you are still too perfectionistic, trying always to please, but never feeling good enough. Or you feel always behind and can't get ahead.

Effects of learning problems can live with you, even if you think they're all worked out.

Are you one in a family of many kids? Did it feel like there was never enough to go around? That's often the case in families with a lot of children.

Resources are limited, especially if you were all born close together. And, especially if your mother was tired, beleaguered, and preoccupied with the siblings that seemed to always need more.

Or, if you were the oldest - expected to care for the younger ones.

As loving as you might be convinced your family was (or maybe you didn't feel that way at all), being a child among many siblings can be traumatic.

You might have felt lost among the many. Not seen or heard. Pushed aside, left out, and very much alone. This sibling situation can leave a child emotionally neglected and feeling unloved.

You might even feel you have to push your needs aside or be the giver in order to be loved. And you may live with deep hunger for the love you feel you can and never will find.

The effects of too many siblings are even more pronounced with a detached or unavailable mom.

An unreachable parent is traumatic. Children need to be seen, heard, held, emotionally embraced and valued. The effects of waiting, watching, longing to have your feelings heard can last a lifetime.

Maybe you're wary of your needs and uncertain of being loved. And maybe you learned to stay distant yourself, not expecting much.

Perhaps you had an anxious parent. One that was afraid, expected catastrophe, hid away from people, or didn't trust.

A parent's anxiety can seep into a child's pores and leave you traumatized, constantly worried, and living with the same kinds of anxieties your parent had, without even knowing it happened.

An emotionally detached or anxious parent was probably traumatized too.

There is definitely such a thing as transgenerational trauma.

If your mom or dad had a traumatic childhood and that trauma was also unresolved, it is passed down from parent to child, from unconscious mind to unconscious mind.

Children are vulnerable. You picked it up. You were affected, too.

Parents that were traumatized live out their trauma. They often can't be fully there for you or become identified with the abuser who abused them.

Or, in instances where your mom or dad survived a horrific event, such as the Holocaust, the terror and unbearable losses can live like ghosts haunting both them and you.

All these various sources of trauma and their effects live on if they are unresolved and all can affect you long into your adulthood - in their many ways and many forms.
How does it affect you as an adult?
Childhood trauma can sometimes leak into your adult life because, no matter how hard you've tried to go on, there is still a traumatized child living inside you.

If you haven't had sufficient help, or the right kind of therapy, to work out your trauma, this child part of you still carries your trauma and suffering.

Maybe you don't always feel it or know it's there, but symptoms of your childhood trauma spill out when you're stressed. Or when something in your life serves as a subtle or not-so-subtle reminder of what happened to you as a child.

Your childhood trauma lives in your symptoms. Depression. Panic attacks. An eating disorder. Obsessional worries, catastrophic anxieties, and relationship fears.

You might have difficulties trusting, low self-esteem, fears of being judged, constant attempts to please, outbursts of frustration, or social anxiety symptoms that won't let up.
Can childhood trauma be healed?
Yes, unresolved childhood trauma can be healed. Seek out therapy with someone psychoanalytically or psychodynamically trained.

A therapist who understands the impact of childhood experiences on adult life, particularly traumatic ones. Have several consultations to see if you feel empathically understood. If not, continue looking.

A safe therapeutic space, one in which you can build trust, is important.

Your therapist must understand and allow for your distrust at first.

All feelings need to be allowed, encouraged, and heard. Those feelings might be fear, terror, deep sadness, and anger.

Your therapy needs to unfold at your pace. You should not be pushed or judged or expected to move faster than you can.

A sensitive, kind, empathic response is what you need. The little traumatized child that still lives inside you has to feel safe and seen. Yet, empathy is not everything. You also need someone with experience and knowledge about childhood trauma and how it affects your life. Someone who sees the very specific effects on you.

You don't have to live with the upsurge of symptoms that leak out under stress or unpleasant reminders. When you have this kind of therapy and can give yourself the time you need, you will heal from unresolved childhood trauma.

October 1, 2019

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How To Recognize If Your Childhood Trauma Is Affecting You As An Adult (& How To Heal) | Michigan ACE Initiative

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This article was originally published by Your Tango. The past doesn't always stay where it should. If you experienced childhood trauma, it may come as a surprise that the traumatic problems you had when you were little are still present when you're an adult. You may worry that your childhood trauma will ruin your happiness, ...

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Funding Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs - Child Welfare Information Gateway

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Presents information and resources related to funding child maltreatment prevention programs and how child welfare organizations fund child abuse and neglect prevention programs.

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How does childhood trauma affect children that leads to did? Children who have experienced complex trauma often have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions, and may have limited language for feeling states. They often internalize and/or externalize stress reactions and as a result may experience significant depression, anxiety, or anger.
Can childhood trauma leading to criminal behavior? Child abuse and neglect have been shown to increase the risk of later forms of antisocial behavior, including violence perpetration and crime in adulthood. The processes through which child abuse leads to subsequent antisocial and criminal behavior are not well understood.

How does childhood trauma affect behavior? Young children suffering from traumatic stress symptoms generally have difficulty regulating their behaviors and emotions. They may be clingy and fearful of new situations, easily frightened, difficult to console, and/or aggressive and impulsive.

What are the long term effects of childhood trauma? Trauma puts a person at higher risk for physical health problems, including obesity, chronic pain, heart disease, diabetes, and premature death.

How does childhood trauma affect children that leads to did? - Related Questions

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In 2013, research conducted at Stanford University found that students in high-achieving communities who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance in their lives, and alienation from society.

What are the odds of passing lupus on to children?

It's not a disease that parents pass directly down to their children; in fact, there's only about a 5 percent chance that a son or daughter of someone with lupus will also develop it. While researchers do believe that genes play a big role in causing lupus, there's more to it than that.

How many catholic priests have fathered children?

Vincent Doyle, the son of a priest and founder of Coping International, a website that offers support for the children of priests, noted that if only 1 percent of the 400,000 priests worldwide have fathered a child, there would be a minimum of 4,000 sons and daughters of priests who may need emotional and other ...

Why mormons have lots of children?

(Most of the time.) Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught from a very early age that children are vital to God's plan and that the highest and most sacred gift that God has given His children is the ability to have children of their own.

Is the scripture on giving your grand children your inheritance?

There is a great verse in Proverbs that says this, "A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children" (Proverbs 13:22). In its Hebrew form, it means very literally what it says. An inheritance being possessions, endowments, and allotments.

How long can liquid children's motrin be kept after opening?

This medicine does not require any special storage conditions. Shelf life after first opening the bottle: 6 months Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Can children eat bourbon chicken?

While most individuals would serve bourbon chicken to children with no concerns, keep this in mind when considering serving to your family. You may also want to consider that not only is the alcohol lowered when cooking, but it's also divided among the servings.

Who recommended daily sugar intake for children?

This means: Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 sugar cubes).

Do codependent parents raise codependent children?

Codependency can be found in the full range of parental relationships: A codependent father may rely on his daughter or son to keep him mentally stable and emotionally happy. A codependent mother may rely on her son or daughter to take responsibility for her physical well-being.

What age do children write their names?

Many children write their name for the first time when they're 3 years old while others don't pick up the skill until after their fifth birthday. If your child shows interest in writing her name when she's 3 years old, go ahead and teach her how to do it.

Why have children when you are poor?

Families in poverty, particularly those who make their living through agriculture, may have more kids as a way of supporting the family's livelihood. Children are often tasked with chores like walking to collect water, gardening, field work and animal care, even when they're very young.

Do children need a fishing license in california?

Answer: A child or young adult 15 years of age or younger does not need a fishing license to catch their own limit of fish. They also do not need to put their catches under an adult guardian's license limit. All of the same regulations apply for them except the requirement to purchase a fishing license.

Who are the children of the scarlet king?

They are a thaumaturgical cult that worships the Scarlet King and seek to summon him into the universe in order to destroy the current state of the modern world so they may rule over of what is left of humanity as in the premodern ancient times.

What affect children with add?

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic, debilitating disorder which may impact upon many aspects of an individual's life, including academic difficulties,1 social skills problems,2 and strained parent-child relationships.

How many children are born each year in the us?

There were about 3.6 million babies born in the United States last year, down 4% from the 3.75 million born in 2019, according to researchers from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. It's the lowest number of births in America since 1979, the report noted.

Can children sit in exit row?

FAA regulations prohibit children under 15 and passengers caring for small children from sitting in exit row seats. Please contact your specific airline for more information on its exit row policy.

What diseases killed the most children historically?

A very severe New England epidemic of diphtheria in 1735-1740 killed more than 5000 individuals, mostly children, and was later called "the most horrible epidemic of a children's disease in American history"(7).

What do children call their mother in ireland?

Most Irish children use the English words for their mothers, including Mam, Mom, Mammy, Ma, Mommy and occasionally Mother. The Irish word for mother is Máthair (MAW her), but this is rarely used. In Irish Gaelic, children would call their mothers Mamaí, which is pronounced Mah-mee.

How many children are killed every year from trauma?

Injury is the leading cause of death in children and young adults. According to the CDC, approximately 12,000 children and young adults, ages 1 to 19 years, die from unintentional injuries each year. Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injury for children.

How does hiv affect children?

Common infections in HIV-positive children include ear and sinus infections, sepsis, pneumonias, tuberculosis, urinary tract infections, intestinal illness, skin disease, and meningitis. In developing countries in particular, tuberculosis, diarrhea, and respiratory illnesses are common in HIV-positive children.

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How does childhood trauma affect children that leads to did? - JacAnswers

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How does childhood trauma affect children that leads to did? Children who have experienced complex trauma often have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions, and may have limited language for feeling states. They often internalize and/or externalize stress reactions and as a result may experience significant depression, anxiety, or anger.

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https://www.swhd.org/programs/health-and-development/birth-to-five-helpline/

The Birth to Five helpline is a free service for families with young children that offer advice and tips on parenting. Callers speak to a trained child development specialist who can answer parenting questions.

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/promoting/parenting/

Child Welfare can help those who are looking for general parenting resources and tips. They also provide a wide variety of information on topics such as child safety and family nutrition. There are also links available to locate help in your community.

https://dcs.az.gov/support

Arizona Department of Child Safety offers resources to parents to help their children grow up safe and well-cared for. They have resources available to get connected to your community, to stay in touch with other parents, and help parents find support systems.

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Call 877-705-KIDS (5437) for Free Child Development Support

The Birth to Five Helpline is a free service open to all Arizona families with young children looking for the latest child development information from experts in the field. Professionals may also take advantage of this service.

Call the Helpline to speak with one of our bilingual (English/Spanish) early childhood specialists, on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. You can also leave a voicemail, complete our online contact form (below), or text the Helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Virtual video consultation services are also available.

Introduced in 2005, the Birth to Five Helpline combines sensitive, supportive listening with sound information from professionals who have expertise in early childhood development and parenting/caregiving. Each child and family are unique. We collaborate with callers to understand their specific concern and align with each family's own parenting values, traditions and style.

Topics addressed include, but are not limited to:

By calling the Helpline, you can also access support as needed from Southwest Human Development's wide range of early childhood development staff, including psychologists, master's level counselors, registered nurses, disabilities specialists, early literacy specialists and occupational, speech/language and physical therapists. In addition to providing you with counseling and resource/referral information, we send individualized child development information as applicable.

Download the Birth to Five Helpline app!

Now, you can have the support of the Birth to Five Helpline at the touch of your fingers! Download our Birth to Five Helpline app in the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Just open the app on your phone and one-touch call, text or email our Helpline early childhood specialists.

Fussy Baby Program

An extension of the Birth to Five Helpline is the Fussy Baby program. This program provides telephone, home visiting and virtual video consultation and support to help families navigate challenges associated with hard-to-soothe infants, excessive crying, sleeping problems and feeding difficulties during their child's first year of life.
Click here for more information about the Fussy Baby program
For Professionals

If you are a child care provider, preschool provider, quality improvement specialist or any professional who works with young children ages birth to 5 and are looking for consultation or resource information, contact the Birth to Five Helpline at 877-705-KIDS (5437). If you would like to submit a question for the Birth to Five Helpline online, please complete the form below and an early childhood expert will contact you.

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Birth to Five Helpline - Southwest Human Development

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The Birth to Five Helpline is a free service open to all Arizona families with young children looking for the latest child development information from experts in the field. Professionals may also take advantage of this service. Call the Helpline to speak with one of our bilingual (English/Spanish) early childhood specialists, on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m.

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https://preventchildabuse.org/

https://www.cdc.gov/parents/essentials/index.html

https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/safety/prevent-child-abuse
This resources will help with preventing child abuse and give parents a better understanding on how to deal with misbehavior. They will also teach how you can make a difference and stand up for children that are being abused.

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Prevent Child Abuse America is the nation's oldest and largest organization committed to preventing child abuse and neglect before it happens. We promote programs and resources informed by science that enable kids, families, and entire communities to thrive-today, tomorrow, and for generations to come. ​