Persistent fear response: Stress/fear triggered by certain stimuli that poses no threat, but eicits memories

Hyperarousal: Increased sensitivity to social cues, for instance eye contact or physical touch.

Childhood trauma can impact brain development. This can occur in a lot of the ways. Some instances of these changes include:

Increased/malfunctioning stress hormone release

stunted hippocampus (memory part of brain)

changes in prefrontal cortex (impacts critical thinking, decision making)

Dealing with death

• Tess’s Tree, by Jess Brallier

• Badger’s Parting Gifts, by Susan Varley

• The Scar, by Charlotte Moundlic

• My Yellow Balloon, by Tiffany Papageorge

Separation

• The Invisible String, by Patrice Karst

• Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me, by Daniel Beaty

Emotions and Fear

• When I Feel Sad, by Cornelia Maude Spelman

• Scaredy Squirrel, by Melanie Watt

• Only One You, by Linda Kranz

• The Heart and the Bottle, by Oliver Jeffers

Violent and Traumatic Experiences

• A Terrible Thing Happened, by Margaret M. Holmes

CBT can be a powerful tool in treating PTSD in children and adults caused by trauma. This can include: discussing the traumatic event (exposure), anxiety management, and correction of inaccurate or distorted trauma related thought.

This resource from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network is a toolkit for teachers in early childhood education, describing some basics of types of trauma, and some behaviors that may manifest in the classroom. These behaviors can be: overstimulation to triggers like bright lights, noises, attachment to objects or family members. Increased distress and fear, and others.

This resource from the NEA is for preschool educators to be educated on the subject of childhood trauma, including statistics about prevalence, signs, and ways to treat it in and out of the classroom. According to these estimates, up to 97% of children with identified behavioral needs, including trauma-related, do not receive appropriate treatment.

This resource is a truly incredible and very helpful document that I plan to keep and use. It includes several wonderfully crafted infographics that can help early childhood educators in identifying trauma- including markers that may be physical, mental, social and emotional, language, and learning. 

This Harvard resource discusses how trauma as a child can manifest in the body as “toxic stress”, which is a condition that causes an over active release of “flight or flight” hormones, causing a persistent feeling of fear and anxiety. It describes how this can take a significant toll on eating, sleeping, and other critical factors for wellness, emphasizing the importance of treatment of childhood toxic stress.

This American Association of Pediatrics resource is a wonderful and very comprehensive tool that includes a lot of relevant information on childhood trauma, and the ACES in particular, and the physical and mental impacts that they can have in the long term. Specifically, they focus on the results of a study that demonstrates that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can contribute significantly to negative adult physical and mental health outcomes and affect more than 60% of adults.

This therapy is another option to consider for children who have experienced trauma heal. This therapy is unique because it involves both the parent and the child, creating a bond of trust, open communication, and healing. This therapy concentrates on the idea that supportive social networks are key in healing from trauma, through strengthened relationships. 

Narrative Exposure therapy is a type of therapy in which the patient narrates, documents, or orated their entire life, including traumatic events that shaped it. This helps the child to cope with the traumatic event, allowing them agency in framing and describing how the event ocurred and fits into the greater context of their life.

While this resource is primarily for early career pediatricians, it is incredibly helpful for anyone working with children in a professional context. This document explains several theoretical outlooks regarding trauma and different definitions in a way that is easy to understand. For instance, they discuss the Life Course Perspective- which stresses the importance of viewing one’s life as an arc, not a linear set of organized, sequential events, and how this can help us to view trauma in the context of one’s life, one in a series of defining moments- not THE defining moment. 

This guide by the CDC is incredibly impactful, because in great detail it outlines the most important factors that can enhance emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development using social development as an axis point. It absolutely emphasizes the importance of trust and strong supportive networks for young, growing minds, and particularly for those who have experienced a trauma. 

This resource is actually one of the best I’ve come across, and I plan to keep it flagged in my computer for use. I have several students who have a high count of ACES and it impacts their behavior. I often have parents ask me- they tell me that they understand the need for patience, empathy, etc., because they know their child has a reason for having behavioral challenges- but they want to know, what can they do to promote healthy behaviors? This resource is excellent at clearly outlining what parents can do- from modeling behavior to emotionally gauging to implementing spaces/times to calm down. 

This toolkit produced by the Parental Advocacy Network is an excellent quick hand out to give parents ideas about how to meaningfully engage with their children. I love that this infographic emphasizes the importance of play and games. The resource also emphasizes the importance of actively engaging in children’s learning, through tracking their developmental milestones both in school, but also at home through shared activities! 

This resource is a scholarly tool from Harvard that does a wonderful job of outlining what resilience is and how it can develop. One of the theories that they draw attention to is that resilience can be compared to a seesaw, where either end is a positive or negative outcome. The more you put on the other side is what tips the scale. Yes, a child might have high ACES, which would weigh the scale down at the negative outcomes side. However, if other supports are placed on the other side: strong parental relationships, therapy, play, school supports, and more, then the seesaw can tip towards a positive outcome. 

This was a very helpful video, describing how important it is for educators ourselves to build our resilience, to prevent burn-out, develop our own learning, and be models for our students. They stress the importance of healthy habits, coping mechanisms, supportive peers and mentors, professional development, frequent check ins with superiors, checking up on our own mental wellbeing, and more. They include both actionable items for self-support and management, but also how to build and grow in relationships with superiors, other teachers, etc. 

Waves of Change is a wonderful rescource to families who are parenting a child who has been impacted by trauma. They provide mental health treatments, but specifically focus on trauma therapies, making them an excellent rescource for anyone experiencing this specific challenge.

The Child Trauma Screen (CTS) Is a 10 item screening tool for children ages 6-17 that can be used by behavioral health proffessionals, school staff, and others to diagnose and act upon trauma.