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Summary: Practical tips for designing classrooms that feel safe and welcoming to students with trauma histories.
Use: Teachers can apply these strategies directly to their classroom environment and routines.
Impact: Creates a calming, secure setting that reduces student anxiety and supports learning readiness.

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Five Ways to Create Trauma-Sensitive Spaces for Young Learners - Starr Commonwealth

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Hello, amazing educators! Are you ready to create a classroom that feels like a warm hug? As early childhood teachers, you hold the magic wand that can transform a child’s world. Embracing the philosophy of Starr Commonwealth’s 10 Steps to Create a Trauma-Informed Resilient School, let’s explore practical, fun, and inspiring ways to make your […]

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Summary: Describes characteristics and examples of trauma-sensitive practices tailored for adolescent learners.
Use: Helps school leaders and educators develop trauma-informed policies and school-wide supports.
Impact: Promotes systemic changes that improve overall school climate and student success.

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What Does a Trauma-Sensitive Middle/High School Look Like?

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Summary: An introduction to the core principles of trauma-informed teaching and why it matters in schools.
Use: Educators can use this to build foundational knowledge and guide trauma-sensitive instructional practices.
Impact: Helps teachers recognize trauma signs and adapt their approach to meet student needs more effectively.

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4 trauma-informed strategies that help kids with ACEs

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4 trauma-informed strategies that help kids with ACEs

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Summary: Practical, easy-to-implement strategies that help students impacted by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Use: Teachers can integrate these strategies into daily classroom routines to create a supportive environment.
Impact: Creates a more inclusive classroom where all students feel safe and engaged.

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We (teachers) are not mental health counselors. Nor are we psychiatrists, social workers, physicians, or nutritionists. Too often - far too often - we are asked to take on these roles to support our kids.

And I get why. We spend a ton of time with our students. It's inevitable that we notice odd bruises, outsized reactions, or a persistent wheezy cough.

But the truth is, we've had extremely limited training to deal with concerns beyond education. We simply aren't qualified, and in my case, it's not why I became a teacher in the first place. I became a teacher because I love education and kids, and the confluence of those two things inspired me. It still does.

And yet, our students' home lives, which are sometimes riddled with traumatic events and circumstances, do affect their ability to learn. So I want to suggest, not that you become an ad hoc therapist, but rather that you consider classroom practices that can help your traumatized students learn.

What are ACEs and how do they present in the classroom?

Adverse childhood experiences (also known as ACEs) can have profound and lasting effects. When people experience traumatic events or situations as a young person, such as having an incarcerated parent or experiencing abuse, there are effects, and the effects are sobering. Consider a few:

Serious chronic health conditions, such as heart disease and cancer

Mental health conditions

High-risk behaviors

Poor social outcomes, such as lower graduation rates and persistent underemployment

You've seen the effects of ACEs in your classroom. Students who have had multiple adverse experiences are far more likely to have chronic truancy, repeat grades, behave unpredictably, and fail to make learning gains.
Here are other ways trauma-connected behaviors might show up in your classroom: Marguerite seems unable to control her body. She never sits at her desk but instead constantly roams your classroom, touching other students and their stuff. Joseph seems incapable of showing empathy or compassion. For example, last week, when another student cried because an elderly relative had died, Joseph laughed. Mikayla freezes when faced with new situations or transitions. Movement between classes, a new activity, or even a simple quiz immobilizes her. Josh isn't making any learning gains even though he participates in targeted interventions. A thorough evaluation showed no evidence of a learning disability. Davon has poor response flexibility, which is the space between impulse and action. The threat of consequences has little effect. He seems unable to pause before acting out.
As it turns out, though, there is good news. Researchers at the Harvard Center on the Developing Child note that the younger the brain, the less effort is required for that brain to change. You elementary school teachers have so much power to help students quickly overcome trauma. But even we high school teachers can take heart. The brain remains elastic enough to undergo change throughout our lives. It's not until we reach our 20s that the effort becomes more difficult (although still very much possible).

How to help traumatized students experience success at school

There are four main ways we can help traumatized students be successful in our classrooms-and, at the same time, improve the school climate for all of us.

Technique #1: Coaching behaviors

When faced with unpredictable student behavior, my inclination is to take it personally. I think, Well, if I had a better relationship with this kid or if I'd done a more solid job of establishing classroom routines, Marguerite wouldn't be wandering around or Davon would stop acting out.

But the truth is, I didn't cause the trauma. And depending on how long it's been going on, it may take some time to reverse its effects.

Once I've reminded myself that the situation isn't a personal attack, I can better respond.

It's important to take a moment or two to consider my own reaction and how it may be contributing to the situation. A good guiding question is, How can I respond in a way that helps the student regulate their behavior, feel more connected to our environment, and disarm all of our fears?

Allowing students to re-do the moment is huge, and that's where coaching comes in. When Jose kicks desks on the way to the bathroom, consider saying, "Jose, let's try that again. Show me you can walk to the bathroom without kicking any desks." Do-overs are an extremely effective way to retrain our brains.

Incorporate compromise into your interactions with traumatized children. I was recently at an incarceration site when a student threw his papers on the floor and told me, with a very colorful vocabulary, that he was declining to participate. I picked up the papers, set them on the corner of his desk, and wrote the answer to the first question on his paper. A few minutes later, I saw the student working. Even though we didn't talk through a compromise, I demonstrated how to ("I'll do the first one ..."), and it worked.

Compromise conversations can be effective, too, especially when you encourage the student to make the proposal. This gives them a sense of agency and control when their home experiences may have given little of either.

Last, offer students choice - positive choice. A choice between "sit down or get a referral" isn't really a choice. Plus we know that punishment without a relationship can backfire. Consider, instead, offering a pencil, pen, or marker to complete an assignment. Or, allow a student to choose odd or even numbered problems, select the order of worksheets to complete, where in the classroom they'd like to work, or whether or not they want to partner with another student.

One more word about coaching behaviors ... there absolutely are times when a consequence for inappropriate behaviors is the right answer. I would never suggest letting inappropriate behavior go unchecked. The idea is to think about how. Studies tell us that punishment can actually reactive a person's trauma. That's the last thing you'd want to do, of course. What works for me is to correct with kindness.

Remember, too, there's a delicate balance between structure and nurture. Adherence to routines and rules can be very helpful for some students with multiple ACEs, but for others, those very same rules can feel insurmountable.

Technique #2: Emotional regulation strategies

I confess, I'm not great at the coaching behaviors with my students, but I shine with regulation strategies. These are tricks you can arm your students with to help them regulate their own behaviors. I think that's why I like this group of ideas so much; I can let go of my own monitoring by giving students more agency to attend to their needs.

Essentially, your goal with regulation strategies is to help students create a tiny self-distraction. This gives them to space to calm down, re-focus, or simply take a breather.

Examples include listening to music through headphones, doodling, taking a few deep breaths, running a quick errand for you, coloring, or doing a puzzle. These are not meant to last a long time. These are quick activities that can give a student a moment to get it together.

Over time, your traumatized students might be able to reach for these self-monitoring strategies on their own. That's the magic of self-regulation strategies ... they can free you from having to constantly monitor issues that feel unrelated to teaching.

Keep in mind, regulation strategies are not meant to replace classroom work. If Damien insists on coloring instead of completing his lab report, it's time to back up to some of those coaching behaviors we talked about earlier. Compromise might be just the ticket.

Technique #3: Engagement practices

The number one question I get from teachers is how to be more engaging. The teachers in my community are constantly looking for ways to engage their kids that are fresh and effective, especially in this current climate of incessant testing.

I tell you this to say, engagement strategies are good for all of our kids, not just ones who've had past trauma. This is a win. Using engagement strategies is likely something you already do, but there are particular ones that can be especially helpful for our traumatized students.

Two easy ones to incorporate with zero preparation are eye contact and voice quality. Students suffering from the effects of ACEs do well with quieter voices, spoken to them from a close range rather than from across the room. Similarly, sitting down next to a student or squatting down to their eye level reduces their anxiety. This is called behavior matching and research shows, it lowers a student's heart rate and stress.

Also consider adding games and playfulness into your routines, especially with older students who may not have experienced these at home. Even something as simple as a riddle of the day can help a student with unease. When a student is laughing, their defenses drop and they don't feel afraid.

All of these engagement strategies create a slight increase in dopamine. That's the feel-good chemical our brains release when they're relaxed and happy. And we all know, relaxed and happy brains are brains that are ready to learn.

Technique #4: Instructional ideas

Good news! The instructional ideas that will help your kids with ACEs will help all of your students. The difference is that the efforts described here have been known to be especially effective for students dealing with the effects of trauma.

Traumatized students frequently experience overwhelm. This overwhelm results in fight (misbehavior), flight (avoidance, shut-down), or freeze (brain unable to learn) responses. The best way you can combat this overwhelm is through chunking. And I do mean chunk everything.

Break down every aspect of your lessons into bite-size pieces. This is where you want to be thinking about the order of instruction in your lessons and gradual release for student practice. If these ideas are unfamiliar to you, set up some time to work the instructional coach on your campus.

Be sure you are also making your expectations for student work clear. Model exactly what you're looking for when you engage in whole or small-group instruction. Provide anchor papers and sample work. Even providing partially completed assignments for your overwhelmed students can be extremely helpful and encouraging as you gradually move them to more independent work.

Clear expectations are critical for students with ACEs. The research tells us that these particular kids struggle with "gray" areas or instructions that leave them guessing. Concrete, black-and-white examples and clear directions set them up for success.

One more thing to consider ... kids who have experienced challenging backgrounds may be completely unfamiliar with effective study practices. Explicitly teach these study habits (in very small chunks!):

Time management

Organization

Note-taking

Memorization tricks

Goal setting

Active listening

Testing tips

Final thoughts

It may feel like having to get crafty with our students who have unpredictable behavior, extreme emotions, or frustrating learning issues is just one more thing on our already very overloaded plates. I fully acknowledge we are asked to do too much.

Perhaps, though, incorporating just one or two of these ideas into your teaching practice might actually reduce your workload. As you provide a safe learning environment for your students who have experienced trauma, the amount of time you spend re-teaching or correcting will likely decrease.

For more information about ACEs and toxic response, check out Nadine Burke Harris's book The Deepest Well (2018). Also, consider screening Paper Tigers (2015) with your colleagues. This documentary follows six high school students over the course of a year as they participate in a trauma-sensitive program.

Last word, and perhaps the most important one of all: be sure you are attending to your own needs through this process. Working with traumatized students can be, well, traumatizing. Build yourself a support system and self-care practices that ensure your own good health. As one of my favorite teachers frequently reminds me, "Take good care of you."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 trauma-informed strategies that help kids with ACEs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We (teachers) are not mental health counselors. Nor are we psychiatrists, social workers, physicians, or nutritionists. Too often - far too often - we are asked to take on these roles to support our kids. And I get why. We spend a ton of time with our students.

# data[].attributes.body
Summary: This article explains common signs and symptoms of trauma in children and how it can affect behavior in the classroom.
Use: Educators can use this to identify students who may be struggling with trauma and adjust their responses accordingly.
Impact: Helps teachers better understand students’ needs, leading to more compassionate and effective support.

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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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Children who suffer from child traumatic stress are those who have been exposed to one or more traumas over the course of their lives and develop reactions that persist and affect their daily lives after the events have ended.

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Summary: Visual resource showing key elements of a trauma-sensitive classroom environment.
Use: Can be displayed in classrooms or shared with educators as a reminder of trauma-informed design principles.
Impact: Encourages creation of physical and emotional safety for students.

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Summary: Demonstrates strategies for calming students and preventing behavioral escalations.
Use: Educators can learn practical ways to respond calmly and effectively to challenging behaviors.
Impact: Reduces classroom disruptions and promotes positive student-teacher interactions.

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Summary: Another video offering techniques to manage escalating emotions in students.
Use: Useful for teacher training or quick refreshers on calming strategies.
Impact: Helps maintain a supportive and safe classroom climate.

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Summary: Explains how coordinated team approaches support effective de-escalation.
Use: School staff can develop shared plans to address behavioral challenges.
Impact: Improves consistency and safety for students and staff.

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Confident Counselors - Made for school counselors

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Responding to Escalating Behavior with a Coordinated Team Response

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Managing escalating behavior goes beyond a simple list of strategies. Use a consistent, coordinated response based on where the student is in the cycle.

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Summary: Downloadable guide with practical de-escalation tips and communication strategies.
Use: Teachers can keep this as a quick reference tool for managing stressful situations.
Impact: Supports quick, effective responses that reduce conflict and trauma triggers.

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Summary: Visual showing the importance of positive teacher-student relationships in trauma-sensitive education.
Use: Use as a reminder or poster in classrooms and staff rooms.
Impact: Encourages relationship-building to support student healing.

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Summary: Discusses the importance of teacher self-care in trauma-informed education.
Use: Encourages teachers to prioritize their well-being.
Impact: Helps maintain teacher resilience and effectiveness.

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Vol. 77

No. 2

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Small changes in classroom interactions can make a big difference for traumatized students.

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Credit: Shannon Fagan

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma, such as abuse, neglect, natural disaster, or experiencing or witnessing violence. Trauma is possibly the largest public health issue facing our children today (CDC, 2019). Traumatized students are especially prone to difficulty in self-regulation, negative thinking, being on high alert, difficulty trusting adults, and inappropriate social interactions (Lacoe, 2013; Terrasi & de Galarce, 2017). They often haven't learned to express emotions healthily and instead show their distress through aggression, avoidance, shutting down, or other off-putting behaviors. These actions can feel antagonistic to teachers who don't understand the root cause of the student's behavior, which can lead to misunderstandings, ineffective interventions, and missed learning time.

Neurobiologically, students can't learn if they don't feel safe, known, and cared for within their schools (Aupperle et al., 2012). When teachers are proactive and responsive to the needs of students suffering from traumatic stress and make small changes in the classroom that foster a feeling of safety, it makes a huge difference in their ability to learn. Here are some examples.

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

First, teachers must learn to put students' reactions into context-and not to take them personally. Students with trauma histories can react and behave in seemingly unexpected ways, such as having a sudden outburst during a favorite activity or crying out of the blue one second after laughing. Teachers may be taken by surprise. They say things like, "But he was fine this morning, I didn't see that coming!" or "She normally loves playing the drums in music class. I have no idea where her reaction came from." This uncertainty leaves the teacher in a constant state of hyper-alertness when interacting with the student. This in turn can result in fatigue, as the teacher is guarded and unable to predict what will happen from one moment to another.

One way to understand these reactions is to think of the student as a soda can, and events that may trigger their trauma stress as shaking that can. We can't tell by looking if the can was recently shaken, but if it was, opening the can results in an unexpected explosive, messy reaction. If a student is triggered and experiencing heightened emotion, even a benign direction such as, "Please move over to make room for Jenny" could result in an "explosion" that the teacher never saw coming. By using trauma-sensitive strategies in the classroom, we can help reduce the times our students are "shaken."

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

Traumatized students often behave in ways that may interfere with teaching and learning, which can be frustrating. Teachers are in a position of power, and these students may be overly defensive, anticipating adult criticism, or defiant, as a way to assert control (Jennings, 2018). Yet for traumatized students, the ability to learn and behave appropriately can be person-dependent. When they are with a safe and supportive adult, their behavior reflects that.

Consider this scenario drawn from schools I've worked with: Trevor, a 6th grader whose father overdosed on heroin two years ago and who has witnessed ongoing domestic abuse throughout his childhood, was in Ms. Carlton's class for part of the day and Ms. Finch's class for the other part. Ms. Carlton had a reputation of working well with hard-to-reach kids, and sure enough, Trevor behaved in a stellar way in her class. When he was with Ms. Finch, however, he was sent to the office nearly three times a week for explosive behavior.

The teacher is 50 percent of every interaction with a student: By changing the way we give a direction or respond, we can reduce problematic behavior. Ms. Carlton had taken the time to build a trusting relationship with Trevor and learned to give directions in a way that he would respond well to. Interaction strategies are a type of accommodation that typically go unnamed and unwritten, but they were the reason that Trevor could feel safe and access the curriculum (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012).

If Ms. Carlton had written down the successful strategies she used with Trevor, the list might have started with avoiding authoritative directives such as, "Pick that up." To give Trevor a sense of control, Ms. Carlton always embedded choice in her directions, asking, "Do you want to be in the front of the line or the back of the line?" instead of simply telling him to "line up." This helped prevent a poor reaction (Minahan, 2019).

Ms. Carlton also conveyed respect and transparency by providing the reason behind each direction. Instead of saying, "No backpacks on the floor. I don't want to trip and fall!" Ms. Carlton would say, "Oh dear, I hope I don't fall. I have a bad knee! Could you please move your backpack?" Stating the reason first assured that Trevor knew the context (and necessity) of the demand.

Conversely, Ms. Finch would often go up close to Trevor, tower over him, and say in front of his peers, "Stop tapping your pencil!" This typically ended in a power struggle and Trevor's escalating behavior. Trevor, like many traumatized students, had experienced a loss of control in his life, and power struggles with an authoritative figure were particularly triggering. Ms. Carlton instinctively knew that a more private nonverbal direction could be less confrontational for a student in "fight or flight" mode. She would write, "Please stop tapping" on a piece of paper, put it gently on Trevor's desk without his peers noticing, and then give him space by walking away quickly. When possible, she also gave Trevor extended time to comply with directions to avoid power struggles, asking, for example, "Can you please pick that up before lunch?" rather than, "Pick that up now" (Minahan, 2019). This allowed Trevor time to decompress and respond rationally.

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

At one point in the year, Ms. Carlton told Ms. Finch that building a relationship with Trevor was key to her success with him, and she suggested that Ms. Finch do the same. Unfortunately, saying, "Build a relationship" is too vague and leaves too much up to the teacher's instincts. Instead, Ms. Carlton could have told Ms. Finch that she greeted Trevor every day at the classroom door and asked him about the Avengers or basketball. She could have told Ms. Finch how she used the "two by ten" rule; she talked to him for two minutes a day for 10 days in a row about topics unrelated to academics or behavior. Whenever Ms. Carlton could see she wouldn't have time for this in the 10-day period, she asked the counselor or special education teacher to cover her class for two minutes so she could go for a walk with Trevor. She repeated this trust-building strategy several times throughout the year, especially after he exhibited anger or frustration and after school vacations and long weekends.

Ms. Carlton skillfully used relationship-building and interaction strategies to work with Trevor. Yet the impact could have been greater had she written and shared those strategies with Ms. Finch and the rest of Trevor's team via a shared document, behavior plan, or student success plan (Minahan, 2019). Likewise, if counselors, school nurses, and psychologists write and share such techniques with each classroom teacher, kids like Trevor, when triggered, wouldn't always have to leave class to find a safe adult.

Not knowing what is coming next can put anyone on high alert, especially traumatized students. Providing predictability through visual schedules of the class agenda or school day can help. Ms. Carlton was adamant about previewing any changes to the normal routine ahead of time (saying, "We are going to have indoor recess today because of the snow," or "The DVD player isn't working so we can't watch a science video at the end of class today"). This prepared Trevor and thus elicited a calmer response.

A teacher's behavior can also feel unpredictable to traumatized students. When students are working independently and quietly-doing what they are supposed to be doing-they don't know when they will get the teacher's attention. But when students are doing the wrong thing-like drumming on the desk with a pencil in each hand or swearing-teachers are more predictable and react quickly! Because predictability is comforting to students with anxiety and trauma histories, they may resort to getting the teacher's attention through inappropriate means. Trevor could get Ms. Finch to react immediately by flipping his water bottle noisily, but could go 20 minutes without so much as eye contact from her when he was quietly reading.

To counter this imbalance and create an overall feeling of safety, teachers can use predictable positive attention (Minahan, 2014). During independent work time, if a teacher says to a student "Great work! I'll be back to check on you," the student has no way of predicting how long they need to wait-and from past experience they know that the teacher may forget to return altogether. Using predictable positive attention, however, the teacher can say, "I am going to check on you in 10 minutes," put a timer on the student's desk, and add, "Come tap me on the shoulder when the timer goes off." If the teacher has many students in the class that could benefit from this, she could transfer the strategy to small groups: "I will check on this desk group at X time."

Another strategy for providing predictable attention, especially for middle and high school students, is to hand an anxious or traumatized student a sticky note with a time on it as they walk into class each day. The first time, the note will need to be explained: "If you don't understand something in class, please don't worry-I am going to check on you during independent work time at 11:45, and I will answer any questions you have then." Ms. Carlton found this strategy comforting to Trevor. This predictable check-in pairs the negative thoughts the student may have ("I don't know how to do this") with a reassuring thought ("But my teacher will be here in seven minutes!"). The student can better tolerate uncomfortable feelings when they know help and a positive interaction are coming. Telling the student what will happen and when and always following through establishes the teacher as a consistent, reliable adult.

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

Traumatized students often engage in inaccurate thinking, tending to focus on the negative. Common classroom management strategies often only exasperate this tendency. How many of us have seen frequent movement breaks on a student's IEP or student success plan? It is one of the most common accommodations that we offer to students who seem dysregulated. Unfortunately, during these breaks, students can ruminate on negative memories, current stressors, angry thoughts, or worries. If we ask a high school student who is getting angry and becoming agitated to take a walk, he may ruminate the whole time and return just as angry. Sending a 1st grader to a "calming chair" can leave her to perseverate on worrying thoughts. Instead, we need to help them "change the channel." Both Ms. Carlton and Ms. Finch used breaks with Trevor, but in vastly different ways.

When adults can't sleep, we often read a book or watch TV, which distracts us from uncomfortable thoughts so we can fall back asleep. Teachers can use the same principle for kids with trauma and anxiety: Teach students that their brain is like a remote control that they can use to "switch the channel" to help them calm down (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012). These switching activities are called cognitive distractions or thought breaks and are incompatible with negative thinking. A listening center or "find the picture" activity can be helpful to young children. For older students, you might try Mad Libs, trivia, or more abstract strategies such as counting all the green items in the room, saying the alphabet backwards, or thinking of the first 10 lines of a favorite movie. Ms. Carlton taught Trevor to do Star Wars trivia when he was upset, which helped him calm down quickly. Conversely when Ms. Finch had Trevor go for a walk, his negative thinking would escalate, and he would often not return to class.

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

Many traumatized students interpret information through a negativity amplifier. When a teacher says, "Please correct the first problem," the student might hear, "You are stupid." Or a student might report that the teacher screamed at her when the teacher was really using a calm tone, as even neutral facial expressions can be misinterpreted. It is helpful to smile and explicitly say when you are happy with the student, a strategy Ms. Carlton utilized. When giving negative feedback, teachers can use the positive sandwich approach-starting and ending with a positive comment: (1) "I love how you remembered the formula," (2) "You made a small calculation error there," (3) "Great job getting problem #3 correct."

7. Create Islands of Competence

Recognizing areas of strength in students is a powerful way to combat the poor self-concept and negative thinking associated with trauma (Jennings, 2018). To support a more accurate self-concept, teachers can provide what Robert Brooks calls "islands of competence" for students swimming in a sea of inadequacy (2003). When a student thinks negatively, the negative moments during the day tend to weigh more heavily than the positive moments. We need to counter this effect with positive experiences. Educator teams need to ask themselves, "Does the student feel competent during the day?" If the answer is no, contriving an island of competence for the student is in order. Ms. Carlton often asked Trevor to help a younger student or a peer who was struggling in an academic area Trevor was strong in, or had him fix the stapler when it was malfunctioning. She would also point out in a written note to Trevor that he was the first student to finish a math activity. In high school, educators may want to foster students' talents by never letting them drop electives (which might require creativity in scheduling academic support in core classes).

It is important that students experience competence to develop a more accurate self-narrative and to begin to create a positive future picture of themselves. We want them to say, "I really helped that student with her artwork. When I grow up, I could work with kids." Or "I am good at fixing things. I could be a mechanic someday."

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Behavior is communication, and we've looked at how traumatized students often communicate feelings through their behavior. Teachers' behavior is also communication-and it may not be communicating the message we are striving to send. Common teacher practices such as ignoring inappropriate behavior, sending students to the office, or sending younger kids to sit alone at a back table or in the hallway can unintentionally trigger students who have experienced abandonment or neglect. We need to remember that when some of our students were young and cried, no one came. Ignoring them can trigger a trauma response and make them feel the teacher doesn't like them or is even happy that they are upset.

Ms. Finch would ignore Trevor when he was expressing anger, such as by crumpling up a paper, growling, or slinging a book from his desk onto the floor. On the other hand, Ms. Carlton responded to such moments at the beginning of the year by validating Trevor's feelings ("I am sorry you are upset" or "I see that you are angry"). This is a much more empathetic approach, will preserve the relationship, and will avoid triggering a trauma response in the student.

Another practice to be cautious about is using time with a preferred adult as an incentive. For example, a principal might say, "If you get all your homework done this week, you and I will have lunch together!" The problem with this is that if the student doesn't get all their homework done, then the principal withholds their attention and time. This implies the relationship is conditional and can trigger an abandonment trauma response for some students. It is better to use one-to-one time with students in a noncontingent way. This way adults are communicating, "I like you for who you are," not "I like you when you behave the right way."

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Students can't learn unless they feel safe. When it comes to student trauma, there is much that is beyond educators' power, but there is also a great deal they can do to build a supportive and sensitive environment where students feel safe, comfortable, take risks, learn, and even heal.

Reflect & Discuss

➛ As Minahan writes, "Students can't learn if they don't feel safe." What small changes are you willing to try in your classroom to foster a sense of safety among traumatized students?

➛ Think about one of your students who struggles with behavior. How could you help him "switch the channel" when he is upset?

➛ Do you routinely share-and exchange ideas about-what's working with a traumatized student? How could you better improve lines of communication across the whole support team?

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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Small changes in classroom interactions can make a big difference for traumatized students.

# data[].attributes.body
Summary: Highlights the importance of self-care to prevent burnout and sustain effectiveness in trauma-informed teaching.
Use: Offers tools and practices for teachers to maintain mental health and well-being.
Impact: Supports teacher resilience, which in turn benefits the classroom community.

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Summary: Free and low-cost training modules on trauma and trauma-informed care.
Use: Professional development for educators and staff.
Impact: Builds trauma-informed knowledge and skills.

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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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The NCTSN offers both online and in-person training on a range of topics, from general trauma education, to assessment and intervention techniques, to Breakthrough Series Collaboratives focused on systems change.

In-Person Training

Through linkages to experts, consultation on training and implementation initiatives, and training resources on child trauma, the Training and Implementation Program at the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS) guides professionals, agencies, and systems to increase their capacity to treat children and families affected by trauma. Since 2004, the NCCTS has been expanding the use of Learning Collaboratives within the mental health arena and, in partnership with NCTSN clinical experts, has conducted over 30 Learning Collaboratives, Learning Communities, and Breakthrough Series Collaboratives.

For additional information about in-person training opportunities or to submit a training-related request, contact training@nctsn.org.

Online Training

The Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma is an online resource for professionals and families who want to learn more about child traumatic stress. The primary sections of the Learning Center include: Continuing Education, Military Families, Psychological First Aid, Service Systems, Special Populations, and Clinical Training. The courses available in these sections include webinars, e-learning courses, and training curricula, descriptions of which can be accessed below. In addition, many of the courses on the Learning Center provide professionals with continuing education (CE) credit.

New users can create a free account online by visiting https://learn.nctsn.org/register.

For more information about programs available for continuing education credits, visit https://learn.nctsn.org/cecredit.

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The NCTSN offers both online and in-person training on a range of topics, from general trauma education, to assessment and intervention techniques, to Breakthrough Series Collaboratives focused on systems change.

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Summary: Toolkit linking schools with community supports and trauma resources.
Use: Guide for schools to develop partnerships and supports.
Impact: Enhances wraparound support for students.

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This Resource Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services provides human services leaders at the local, State, Tribal, and Territorial levels with information and resources on recent advances in our understanding of trauma, toxic stress, and executive functioning.

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Summary: Resource on how trauma impacts executive function skills like planning and impulse control.
Use: Helps teachers understand cognitive challenges and adapt instruction.
Impact: Supports improved student learning and behavior.

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Summary: Resource on how trauma impacts executive function skills like planning and impulse control.
Use: Helps teachers understand cognitive challenges and adapt instruction.
Impact: Supports improved student learning and behavior.

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Summary: Explains the neurological effects of trauma on brain development and functioning in children.
Use: Provides educators with science-based insights to better understand student behavior and learning challenges.
Impact: Encourages empathy and patience when working with trauma-affected students, promoting supportive responses.

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This can leave the child feeling unsafe, fearful, irritated, and extremely sensitive to small everyday things such as a slightly raised voice or a classroom move. They may feel numb or not in contact with the here and now, they may redouble efforts to keep themselves feeling safe by anticipating and meeting the perceived needs of important people around them.

As well as causing elevated stress responses, trauma can also change the way the prefrontal cortex (aka 'the thinking centre') functions. This can make it more difficult to concentrate, make decisions and process new information. Similarly, brains which have adapted to danger may function differently in the anterior cingulate cortex (aka 'the emotional regulation centre'), so managing strong emotions can be challenging.

Studies have also shown that trauma can impact the hippocampus - a vital part of the brain that stores and retrieves memories, as well as distinguishes between past and present events. Therefore, traumatic memories can replay in a child's mind and seem like the threat is current, even if the memory happened in the past and the child is safer now. Triggers for these memories could be anything from a sound, smell, environment or situation to an image, movement, facial expression or touch.

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How Trauma Affects Child Brain Development | ISP Fostering

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Sadly, many children in care with complex needs, may struggle with their emotional regulation or find it difficult to communicate. This collection is aimed at foster parents to support you when caring for children with complex needs.

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Summary: Research findings showing how childhood trauma rewires brain structures affecting behavior and cognition.
Use: Useful for educators to understand the neuroscience behind trauma and its lasting effects.
Impact: Builds empathy and informs trauma-sensitive teaching approaches.

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Worlds largest childhood trauma study uncovers brain rewiring | University of Essex

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Summary: A short video explaining how trauma impacts brain development and functioning in children.
Use: Can be used in professional development sessions to visually demonstrate trauma’s effects.
Impact: Increases teacher awareness and encourages trauma-informed practices.

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Summary: Discusses the impact of trauma on learning, behavior, and social-emotional development in school settings.
Use: Educators gain insight into how trauma manifests and affects academic performance.
Impact: Supports development of targeted interventions to help trauma-affected students succeed.

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How Trauma Affects Kids in School - Child Mind Institute

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Learn how trauma from ongoing neglect, abuse, homelessness or violence causes children to have problems with learning and behavior. How to help these kids.