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Trauma Informed-Care (TIC)
Classroom Management Practices
Learning Objectives:
• Recognize trauma and the effects on infant and early childhood brain development
• Identify how to interpret behaviors through the lens of trauma
• Learn about the principles of TIC as they relate to caregiving relationships, program space and design; and the incorporation of Pyramid Model strategies
Learning Objectives:
• Recognize the importance of caregiver (families and staff) well-being and learn strategies focused on caregiver well-being to share with families.
• Practice self-care/self-reflection techniques when working with children impacted by trauma and their families to avoid secondary trauma and burn out. Access strategies, recommendations and resources for improving TIC in early childhood programs
Introductions
Let’s Get to Know Each Other• Share your name
• Where you work
• Why you chose to come to this training
Talking about Trauma
• Discussing trauma can be a reminder of personal experiences and may be upsetting.
• If you feel upset- take care of yourself
• Talk to a trusted person or mental health professional
Self Care Strategies
• Pay attention to how you feel
• Pay attention to your breathing
• Focus on your surroundings – notice sounds, smells, the feeling of the floor under your feet
Large Group Discussion
Defining Trauma
• What is Trauma?
Defining Trauma
Trauma occurs when
• frightening events or situations overwhelm a child's ability to cope or deal with what has happened.
Defining Trauma
• Acute Traumatic Stress typically involves a one-time experience such as a natural disaster or car accident
• Complex Trauma involves prolonged or multiple traumatic events that typically occur within a caregiving relationship (i.e. neglect, physical or sexual abuse).
Why Focus on Trauma and Young Children ?
• Trauma has a unique impact on young children.
• Their brains are developing rapidly and are particularly susceptible to trauma.
Trauma has a Unique Impact on Young Children
• Significant sensory experience for young children
• Early childhood trauma has been associated with changes in the brain - reduced size of the brain cortex
Trauma has a Unique Impact on Young Children
Young children exposed to five or more significant adverse experiences in the first three years of childhood face a 76% likelihood of having one or more delays in their language, emotional or brain development. Describe/highlight a few common types of childhood trauma
(https://www.childtrends.org/child-trends-5/5-ways-trauma-informed-care-supports-childrens-development)
Pair and Share
Discuss Potentially Traumatic Experiences
What types of potentially traumatic experiences do children and families face in your program?
What Makes an Event Traumatic?
Why is the same event
traumatic for one child
but not for another?
• All behavioral development has to do with the brain• Brain development is dependent upon both experience
and genetics• The brain has a great deal of plasticity and can recover
from many traumatic events over time• Growth of the brain occurs from the inside out and the
bottom up• You are born with 100 billion brain cells• There are 15,000 synaptic connections for each cell
Early Brain Development:
Understanding Early Brain
Development –The Importance of the First Three
Years
Early Experiences Are Crucial:• By age 3, 80% of synaptic connections
are already made• By the second decade of life growth
levels off and pruning begins• Experiences define the wiring of an
infant’s brain
5 Days 2 Months 1 Year 28 Years
Birth 6 Years Old 14 Years Old
Human Brain
The Stress Response System in the Brain
Self Regulation3 Modes of Regulation• Auto-Regulation: Regulating independent of
others such as breathing, heart-rate, sucking reflex, foot tapping, etc.
• Co-Regulation: Using relationships to either stimulate or calm systems, for example rocking, rubbing a child’s back, bouncing a child on lap, etc.
• Self-Regulation: Effective flexible regulating skills built upon the foundation of good co-regulation, such as deep breathing, meditation, counting backwards, etc.
What we see when kids are skilled at SELF REGULATION
They hit a difficult feeling and:–They go from feeling to THINKING to
acting, rather than from feeling to directly acting – Express it and move on–Ask for help– Take a break– Talk themselves down– Find another way to help themselves calm
down
Shooting through the Roof
Falling through the Basement
•Crying•Hitting•Kicking•Throwing•Running Away•Screaming•Tantrums
•Sad•Withdrawn•Zoned Out•Blank •Falling asleep•Silent•Frozen
Role of Two Hemispheres: Effects on the Brain of Trauma & Neglect in Early Childhood
Left Brain• Linear Thinking• Language• Logical Reasoning• Analytical• Analysis &
Planning• Cause & Effect
Right Brain• Non-Linear• Hollistics• Non-Verbal
Communication• Emotions• Social Cognition• Empathy• Creative
Trauma during early development can impact the maturation of the corpus callosum, which unites the two sides of the brain. This can cause disruptions in the interaction between the left and right brain.
Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Outcomes
Importance of Early Care Experiences:
• Babies thrive when they receive warm, responsive early care
• Early care has a decisive, long lasting impact on how people develop, their ability to learn, and their capacity to regulate their own emotions
Video – Breaking Through –Understanding ACES and Toxic Stress
Knowing the Signs & Symptoms
Signs and Symptoms of Trauma inInfants and Toddlers
• Eating & Sleeping disturbance • Clingy/separation anxiety • Irritable/difficult to soothe • Repetitive/post-traumatic play • Developmental regression • Language delay • General fearfulness/new fears
• Easily startled• Reacting to reminders/trauma triggers
• Difficulty engaging in social interactions through gestures, smiling, cooing
• Persistent self-soothing behaviors, for example, head banging
• Aggression (toddlers)
Signs and Symptoms of Trauma inPreschoolers
• Avoidant, anxious, clingy • General fearfulness/new fears • Helplessness, passive• Restless, impulsive, hyperactive • Physical symptoms (headache,
etc.) • Inattention, difficulty problem
solving • Irritability
• Aggressive and/ or sexualized behavior
• Sadness• Repetitive/ post-traumatic play • Talking about the traumatic event
and reacting to trauma triggers • Developmental regression • Poor peer relationships and social
problems (controlling/over permissive)
What are Trauma Triggers?
• Triggers are reminders of trauma
• Sensory: sights, smells, sounds, touch, taste
• Emotional: anxiety, fear, vulnerability
• Sudden fear - fight/flight/freeze response
• Adults can unintentionally trigger children through harmless actions
How do We Help Families to Learn about Signs and Symptoms of Trauma?
Pair and Share
How Do We Address Trauma Through the
Pyramid Model ?
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Prom
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Trea
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All Children
Children At-Risk
Few Children
The Pyramid Model: Promoting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children
Individualized Interventions need to be developed in the context of understanding a child’s experiences including a history of potential trauma.
Children who have experienced trauma may need help with regulating their emotions and learning skills to cope with their feelings
Children who have experienced trauma need close secure relationships and safe predictable environments
“Old” Way, Pyramid Model , Trauma Informed
“Old Way” Pyramid Model Trauma Informed Pyramid
Focus on behavior reduction
Focus on teachingnew skills
Focus on teaching new skills and healing
“Old Way” Pyramid Model Trauma Informed Pyramid
Quick fix Focus on long term academic, social and health outcomes
Focus on long term academic, social and health and mental health outcomes
Story of John
What is Trauma Informed Care?
• All caregivers realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand potential paths for recovery
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma;
• Fully integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices;
• Seek to actively resist re-traumatization.
Story of John
• Staff have been trained in signs and symptoms of trauma and the impact of trauma
• Staff is actively working to understand John’s triggers and his behaviors
Understanding John with a Trauma Informed Care Lens
Helping Young Children Affected by TraumaCaregivers Can Provide
Safe, secure attachments
Safety
Routine
Ways to express feelings, fears, beliefs and
concerns
Using a Trauma Informed Lens-
Video Review Guide (Handout 1)
It is Inappropriate to Talk about Trauma without Talking about
Resilience
With nurturing and responsive care and safe environments children can and do often do well despite very significant adversity
Importance of Early Care Experiences:
• The way that parents and caregivers relate to young children and the way they mediate children’s contact with the environment directly effects the formation of neural pathways
Defining Resilience
• Recovering from or adjusting to misfortune or change
• The ability to bounce back
• Overcoming the odds
What Supports Resilience?
Nurturing responsive
relationships with adult caregivers
What Supports Resilience?
“Children’s brains have the ability to change and reorganize in response to new experiences; therefore, having healthy and consistent interactions with early childhood educators can greatly influence their brain development and their ability to engage successfully in the early childhood setting” (Cole et al. 2013).
Promoting Resilience
Strategies to Promote Resilience
Repetition can change the brain:
Positive relationships
Positive environment
Individualized Interventions need to be developed in the context of understanding a child’s experiences including a history of potential trauma.
Children who have experienced trauma may need help with regulating their emotions and learning skills to cope with their feelings
Prev
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Trea
tmen
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Children who have experienced trauma need close secure relationships and safe predictable environments
Unive
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Prom
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The Pyramid Model and Trauma Informed Care – Strategies to Use
Trauma Informed- Care and its Impact on the Program Design and Practices Activity (See Handout)
• Nurturing and Responsive Relationships (Foster Relationships that Emphasize Trust, Collaboration, Empowerment)
• Create a Safe Learning Environment with Positive Directions and Rules (offer choice)
• Create Calm Predictable Transitions
• Help Children Regulate Their Emotions
• Intensive Interventions Consider the Child’s Experiences
Supporting Families who Have Experienced Trauma
Building Resilience
• Help meet families basic needs
• Foster strong responsive parent child relationships
• Promote parents’ self care • Help parents develop their
own self regulation capacities
Reflecting on Your Own Self Care
• What can I do to take care of myself?
• POISE model
• Physical, Occupational, Intellectual, Social, Emotional
Self Care Strategies
• Pay attention to how you feel • Pay attention to your breathing • Focus on your breath • Take a walk- fresh air helps• Drink more water • Jot down how you are feeling • Focus on your surroundings – notice sounds, smells,
the feeling of the floor under your feet
Self Care Strategies
• Sleep and Exercise are Important
• Turn Down Any Self Judgement
Try on Mindfulness as a Self Care Strategy. Mindfulness is…
“Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Kabat Zinn)
Doing the things we usually do, like observing, interacting, eating, walking, sitting, but with more awareness
Summary• Trauma impacts young children’s brain,
relationships and behavior.
• Our relationship with young children and their families can help buffer the impact of trauma.
Wrapping Up
“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” -Rita Pierson
Wrapping Up
Use One Word to
Describe Today
