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As teachers, it is incredibly important that all of our future students feel safe, welcome, and valued in our classroom in order to get the best education they can. While most teachers understand this and do not give in to most biases, there still could be unconsious biases that they give into when teaching and communicating with students and families. Teachers need to educate themselves on all types of biases and become very aware of them as they teach. It is necessary that no student feels more or less important than another, especially for reasons outside of their control.

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Unintentional injuries are the #1 cause of death in children under 14. This is important for teachers to understand because we are legally liable for every student in our classroom. Teachers must be prepared and able to respond to an emergency at all points in the day not only to avoid legal trouble, but to more importantly potentially save a child's life. Having updated resources in the classroom that the teachers are familiar with is very important, especially because safety instruction changes as children develop. The most important things for teachers to do when handling an emergency is to stay calm in order to not escalate the situation further and to ensure that they are in the proper headspace to make good decisions and give the best care that they can.

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Mental health is always changing and is very complex. It effects how we interact with others, make decisions, our feelings, how we handle stress, and many more things throughout our lives. Teachers need to build a strong foundation in the mental health development in their students to set them up for success in the future.

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The Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health is a great recourse and has a list of a lot of different mental health conditions that explains what they are and how to best help children who have them. I will definitely use that as a resource in my future classroom.

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Upcoming Events

+ 5th Annual Infant & Early Childhood Conference

+ Fall 2022 Training Series

+ Summer 2022 Training Series Recordings

+ Save the date for our 27th Annual Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference, happening April 23 - 25, 2023. In Duluth!

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Upcoming Events + 5th Annual Infant & Early Childhood Conference + Fall 2022 Training Series + Summer 2022 Training Series Recordings + Save the date for our 27th Annual Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference, happening April 23 - 25, 2023. In Duluth!

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Even though some concrete signs of maturity start to be shown when puberty starts, sexual maturity has always been there. As controversial as sexual education is becoming today, it should be taught in schools in order to help kids make the safest choices possible. Teachers and educators need to understand that children are going to explore their sexuality and sexual feelings regardless of how much education they have, so we should be guiding them to make the safest choices possible.

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Linked is the National Sex Education Standards published by FOSE (future of sexual education). This resource is a great reference point because it has standards for what ages students should be learning certain topics and how appropriate the lessons should be.

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This resource has a lot of great information on anti-bias in education. They discuss ways to get families involved in the conversation, examples of scenarios in the classroom for different age groups, and much more. It would be great to use in professional development time by administration as well as if teachers wanted to review it individually.

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There are 4 domains of development: physical, social/emotional, cognitive, and language. Sensory development is also extremely important to measure and record in developing children because of how much it impacts their learning. For example, if a child has trouble seeing the board from far away, that might impact how much they learn, regardless of their cognitive abilities. It is important that schools have regular vision and hearing screening in order to catch any difficulties in children early so the problem can be better addressed.

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Linked is the Social-Emotional Development Guide by the OECD. This document has different ages listed and the milestones children should be hitting around that age. This is a good resource for parents and teachers to evaluate their child to make sure they are developmentally on track for their age. If there is a severe issue, it should be addressed sooner rather than later to best help the child and to make sure it does not get worse.

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Linked is a long but very useful document for teachers. It outlines important and possibly life saving steps for different emergencies that can occur in the classroom. One of the most useful parts is the flow charts for different emergencies like bloody nose, asthma, etc. Teachers could hang these flow charts up near their desks and can be used as a reference if the emergency were to occur in the classroom.

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Chronic illnesses last anywhere between 3 months and a lifetime. 10-20% of kids in the US have suffered or currently suffer from a chronic illness, more specifically 1/5 under 18. It is important for teachers to put time into understanding any chronic illnesses of the kids in their class because of how they affect the child and their education. Many kids with chronic illness are affected physically because they often need to spend long periods of time in the hospitals, have treatments that greatly impact how they learn and behave. Socially, their classmates might treat them differently because they do not understand the illness and they can feel left out. Teachers need to communicate with families and students in order to help the ill child as much as they can during this difficult time.

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Linked is a document that informs teachers and parents about the laws in place to protect their children when it comes to medical procedures in school. Making sure that families have access to this information can ease their nerves about the situation as a whole and ensure them that their child will be taken care of in terms of their schooling and education. Teachers need to be aware of the laws and procedures that would be done during certain scenarios in order to best help the child and their family.

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Communicable diseases are diseases and illnesses spread from person to person through germs in body fluids, animals, people, food, water, dirt, and more. They are the most common illnesses in infants and young children. They are caused by 4 main agents: bacteria, fungi, virsuses, and parasites. This is very relevant to teachers because widespread outbreaks of disease in a school or even worldwide like covid can greatly impact how students learn and perform in school. Keep classrooms clean and students sanitary is very important to their own health and the health of others.

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Linked is the communicable diseases fact sheet for educators from 2022. Here, many different communicable diseases are listed with essential information about each. It includes symptoms, method of transmission, images, treatments, and more for each disease. It is important for teachers to have this resource in the classroom to use as a reference to see if a child might have one of these illnesses with the best next steps provided. New fact sheets are released each year or as needed in order to keep the information current and accurate.

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Movement is incredibly important to both the physical and academic growth of children. Movement helps them grow and develop physically while also giving them a place to let out their stress. Recess time is also a place for kids to socialize and take a break from learning to refresh their brains. Recently, administrators have been shortening or completely eliminating recess time from the school day schedule in order to make more time for academic instruction. This only makes students less focused in class and teachers even more overworked. Teachers need to be implementing some sort of movement into their class time throughout the day in order to help their students stay focused during class and make the most of out their time in class.

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This link comes directly from our canvas page and has a lot of great websites to use during class time. They include a bunch of different songs and dances to keep kids moving throughout the day which keeps their brain sharp. There are some that can be done seated, some standing, some are 2 minutes, and others are 15. There are so many options out there on the internet that can fit any classroom schedule and age group. I remember doing some of these when I was in elementary school and loving it.

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Nutrition is important for all people, especially young children who have a lot of growing to do. They must be eating balanced meals 3 times a day. This includes fruit, vegetables, protein, and carbs. School lunches should provide options for each of these categories in order to make sure all children eat food that they enjoy and that is good for them while at school. Not all children can eat balanced food at home, making it extra important to have balanced foods at school.

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Linked is a common resource used to provide school lunches in America, MyPlate. Schools and teachers should be teaching kids about eating healthy and why it is important and MyPlate has great information to help teachers do just that. The image of the plate with the different sections has been burned into my brain and helps me eat healthy to this day so it must be effective.

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Find easy, low-cost recipes

View delicious recipes in our very own MyPlate Kitchen! Search by ingredient to use what you already have or browse by category to find something new. Save your favorites, make personalized cookbooks, and more!
Go to MyPlate Kitchen

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MyPlate | U.S. Department of Agriculture

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View delicious recipes in our very own MyPlate Kitchen! Search by ingredient to use what you already have or browse by category to find something new. Save your favorites, make personalized cookbooks, and more! Go to MyPlate Kitchen

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Teachers, administrators, and all educators should become mandated reporters for many reasons. It is important to understand what criteria are worth filing a report for and how to fill one out. For example, bruises on shins of toddlers would not necessarily warent a report because toddlers are known to be clumsy and often get brusies on their legs fro everyday play. But if there were bruises on their face, arms, and other places on their body and the child said something about a parent hitting them, a report would then be filed. Knowing the warning signs can really help save a child's life and/or get them out of a bad situation.

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Linked is a child abuse resource center. Teachers can use this website as a resource and point of contact if they have questions about certain situations they might come across with children in their classroom. They should also be using it to constantly be familiarizing themselves with important information about what child abuse looks like and how to respond to it in order to have the best understanding of the information they can.

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About

Child abuse and violence affect millions of children each year. Child abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. Interpersonal violence is violence between people and includes community violence, partner violence (also called "domestic violence"), and bullying. After abuse or violence many children develop mental health problems including depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. These children may also have serious medical problems, learning problems, and problems getting along with friends and family members.

After abuse or violence children need support from their parents and other family members. Sometimes parents are not able to be supportive because they have their own mental health problems; or they may also have been the victims of the abuse or violence. Other parents may have caused the abuse or violence. Children who do not have supportive families or who blame themselves for the abuse or violence are more likely to have serious mental health problems.

However, many children have inner strength and are able to cope well even after abuse or violence.
Choose a topic:
Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is child trauma and child abuse?

2. What are signs that a child may need help after experiencing abuse or interpersonal violence?

3. What can a parent do if they suspect that their child is being abused?

4. How can I help my children after they have been experienced abuse or interpersonal violence?

5. What is toxic stress?

Facts for Families

AACAP's Facts for Families provide concise up-to-date information about a variety of issues that affect children, adolescents and families. The following Facts for Families contain information that is especially pertinent to families of children who have experienced abuse or interpersonal violence:

Bullying
Child Abuse: The Hidden Bruises Sexual Abuse Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Foster Care Domestic Violence and Children Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Responding to Child Sexual Abuse Anxiety and Children Depression in Children and Teens When To Seek Help for Your Child Where to Find Help for Your Child
Video Clips

Clinical Resources

Information about Treatment Choices
Children who have experienced violence or abuse can be successfully treated with psychotherapy (talk therapy). Though there are no medications to specifically treat abuse, victims often experience anxiety, depression and other disorders that can be successfully treated with medications by a psychiatrist. To learn more about effective psychotherapies for youngsters affected by abuse or violence, please click here.

PTSD Rating Scales

Two rating scales can be used by clinicians to help identify children's or adolescents' exposure to child abuse, interpersonal violence and other traumatic events, to identify PTSD symptoms, and to monitor symptoms. These are the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (RI) and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS). The RI is rated separately by the child or adolescent and a parent; the CPSS is rated only by the child or adolescent.
The Child PTSD Symptom Scale
Additional Clinical Resources
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network developed a resource kit for parents whose children have experienced sexual abuse. Caring for Kids: What Parents Need to Know about Sexual Abuse. Working with children who have experienced sexual abuse can lead to vicarious trauma or "secondary traumatic stress".

Research and Training
Scientific Articles and Information
Community Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder for Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence
Archive of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
January 2011 - Volume 165 - Issue 1 - pp 16-21

Free training in the TF-CBT treatment model is available to mental health professionals from the TF-CBTWeb training course, available at www.musc.edu/tfcbt.

Child abuse and neglect and intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration: A prospective investigation
Child Abuse & Neglect, 2013

Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Child Abuse and Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence, Parent-Child Attachments, and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2011

Separating Children From Their Families: Toxic Stress and Adverse Childhood Experiences
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Spontaneous Thoughts and Brain Connectivity: Possible Links Between Early Maltreatment and Later Depression
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 57, Issue 9, Pages 634-36
Published online: September 2018

Child Abuse and Neglect
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 57, Issue 9, Pages 637-644
Published online: September 2018

Evidence for Depressogenic Spontaneous Thoughts and Altered Resting-State Connectivity in Adolescents With a Maltreatment History
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 57, Issue 9, Pages 687-695
Published online: September 2018

Early Childhood Adverse Experiences, Inferior Frontal Gyrus Connectivity, and the Trajectory of Externalizing Psychopathology
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 57, Issue 3, Pages 183-190
Published online: March 2018

The Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Among Adolescents: Co-Occurring PTSD, Depersonalization/Derealization, and Other Dissociation Symptoms
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 56, Issue 12, Pages 1062-1072
Published online: December 2017

Traumatic Stress Interacts With Bipolar Disorder Genetic Risk to Increase Risk for Suicide Attempts
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 56, Issue 12, Pages 1073-1080
Published online: December 2017

Books

A Place for Starr: A Story of Hope for Children Experiencing Family Violence
Howard Schor

Please Tell! A Child's Story About Sexual Abuse
Jessie

Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care
Wilgocki, J& Wright, MK. (2002)

Posttraumatic Play in Children: What Clinicians Need to Know
Michael Scheeringa

For more bibliotherapy resources, visit Living with Mental Illness: Books, Stories and Memoirs.

Getting Help

Getting help is one of the most important things a parent can do for a child with a mental health concern. This is especially important after exposure to a trauma such as child abuse or interpersonal violence, but often in these situations seeking professional help is the last thing on parents' minds because so many other things are going on in the family.

A child and adolescent psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders that affect children and adolescents. Child and adolescent psychiatrists have completed four years of medical school, and at least three years of residency training in medicine, neurology, or general psychiatry with adults, and two years of additional training in psychiatric work with children and adolescents.

Click here to find a child and adolescent psychiatrist in your area.

Oftentimes, parents are unsure when to seek a referral to a child and adolescent psychiatrist. For more information on when to seek a referral, please click here.

To learn more about understanding mental health insurance, please click here.
Services In School For Children With Special Needs: What Parents Need To Know
Resources for Parents and Foster Parents
If your child has experienced child abuse, the following resources may be helpful:

Caring for Kids: What Parents Need to Know about Sexual Abuse
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network Sexual Abuse Committee developed a series of fact sheets providing information about different aspects of child sexual abuse.

For Foster Parents:
In addition to child abuse and violence exposure, many children in foster care struggle with the uncertainty about their future related to placement issues. This book helps children in foster care and their foster parents to address this issue more openly:

Wilgocki, J& Wright, MK. (2002) Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care. Washington, D.C: American Psychological Association. Available at www.amazon.com.

Related Websites

COVID-19 Resources

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Child abuse and violence affect millions of children each year. Child abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect.