Trauma Informed Schools

Creating the Possible!

A San Diego Principal Takes on Trauma

The Problem, Solution and How We Get There

• PROBLEM: Many students have had traumatic experiences.

• Trauma can impact learning, behavior and relationships at school.

• SOLUTION: Trauma-sensitive schools help children feel safe to learn.

• HOW WE GET THERE: Trauma sensitivity requires a whole school effort.

• Helping traumatized children learn should be a major focus of education reform.

The Community has a role and responsibility in helping all young people develop and grow

• Brains are not just born, they are built through a child’s experiences and interactions.

• “Serve and Return” exchanges with caregivers: eye contact, singing , playing peek-a-boo help to create a healthy foundation in an infant’s and young child’s brain.

• While good stress—meeting new people, trying out for a team—helps build resourcefulness and problem-solving strategies, toxic stress, such as parental neglect or abuse, is bad for brain development.

• Sturdy brain architecture fosters social, emotional and cognitive skills—often called “executive functioning”—that help children regulate their feelings and actions, the way an air-traffic controller directs movement in the skies.

,

Percentage of Children in an Urban Pediatric Community Clinic with Learning or Behavioral

Problems Based on ACE Score

ACE 0 ACE 1-3 ACE 4->0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

No Learning or Behavioral ProblemYes Learning or Behavioral Problem

N. Burke et al, Child Abuse and Neglect 35(2011) 408-413This gives an Odd Ratio of 32 for an ACE score of 4 or more versus ACE 0

Childhood Experiences are Powerful Predictors of Who We Become as

Adults!!!!

WHY ?

SIMPLE

Because ACES and Toxic Stress Drastically Affect a Child’s Developing Brain,

Immune System and Genetics.

Toxic Stress: Children’s Behavioral Changes and Adult Responses

• Childhood presentations of attention deficits, emotional dis-regulation, and oppositional behaviors may have their roots in early trauma.

• Early maltreatment can result in long-term behavioral changes which draw responses from those around the trauma-adapted child that can often hinder the child’s attempts at re-adaptation to the non-traumatic world.

The ResultsCognitive• Slowed Language Development• Attention Problems (ADHD)• Speech Delay• Poor Verbal Memory/Recall• Loss of Brain Matter/IQSocial• Aggression and Violent Outbursts• Poor Self-Control of Emotions• Can’t Modify Behavior in Response to Social Cues• Social Isolation – Can’t Navigate Friendships

A Fast Tract To PovertySpecial Education Low Wage JobsSchool Failure UnemploymentDropping Out Public AssistanceTeen Pregnancy PrisonSuspension Chronic DiseaseExpulsion Substance AbuseDelinquency Poor Mental Health

WHAT WORKS???WHAT CAN PHYSICIANS DO???

Pediatricians, Teachers and Faith Leaders are Uniquely Positioned to Intervene Through

• Regular interactions with children.

• Appreciation for the important role that families and communities play in determining child wellness.

• Understanding of the advantages of prevention over remediation.

• Awareness of the critical importance of effective advocacy to promote changes in well-established systems that influence health and development.

Everyone can Offer Social Supports for Children and Adolescents (Spiritual Leaders, Teacher, Doctors)

• Children with a caring adult outside their home have less externalizing behavior problems (bullying) and internalizing problems (depression).

• Supported kids are more likely to complete tasks they start, remain calm in the face of challenges, and be engaged in school.

• Adults outside the home can be a helpful in promoting positive well-being for children.

Child Trends, December 2013

Everyone can offer Social Supports for Parents (Spiritual Leaders, Teachers, Doctors)

• Spiritual support (such as providing hope and encouragement)

• Emotional support (such as being empathic and non- judgmental)

• Informational support (such as providing parenting guidance or recommending resources)

• Instrumental support (such as providing transportation or links to job support)

Strengthening Families Protective and Promotive Factors

`

“The Solution of All Adult Problems Tomorrow Depends in Large Measure Upon the Way Our Children Grow Up

Today”

Margaret Mead

• Teach skills to youth

• Plan activities that focuses on nutrition, exercising and relaxation techniques

• Help children develop healthy relationships

Regional Child Abuse Prevention Councils 2011

Building Nurturing and Attachment

• Observe, attend and listen to children

• Provide safe and stable home life

• Model caring behavior• Respond to child’s needs• Use positive discipline• Notice and reinforce

child’s strengths

Regional Child Abuse Prevention Councils 2011

Resources

• traumasensitiveschools.org • Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries a

new approach to school discipline; suspensions drop 85%

• The secret to fixing school discipline? Change

the behavior of adults -- the overview • At Cherokee Point Elementary, kids don't conf

orm to school; school conforms to kids -- San Diego

Resources

• There's no such thing as a bad kid in these Spokane, WA, trauma-informed elementary schools -- Spokane, WA

• Q-and-A with Suzanne Savall, principal of trauma-informed elementary school in Spokane, WA -- Spokane, WA

• San Francisco's El Dorado Elementary uses trauma-informed & restorative practices; suspensions drop 89%

If our society is to prosper in the future, we will need to make sure that ALL children have the opportunity to develop intellectually, sociallyand emotionally.

Regional Child Abuse Prevention Councils 2011