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Early Childhood Learning Webinar: Brain Science and the Effects of Stress and Trauma
Heidi Reed Director, Professional Learning Turnaround for Children
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Introductions, Objectives, and Agenda
My background and what we’ll be doing today
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OBJECTIVES
• Explain how stress, trauma, and adversity impacts the brain, learning, and development
Understand the Stress Response System
Define the three areas of the brain that respond to stress
Define Adverse Child Experiences and explain their impact on young children
• Discuss how supportive environments and positive developmental relationships can mitigate the effects of stress, trauma, and adversity on young children
Participants will be able to …
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AGENDA
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The Stress Response System
What do we mean by stress? What are the
biological mechanisms of stress?
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INTRO TO THE STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEM
On One Side of the Chart:
• Think about the last few times you
experienced stress or felt stressed. Jot each stressor that you think of as a
separate item
On the other side of the Chart:
• Think about how you felt during that time
(physically, emotionally, mentally). Jot each descriptor of your stress responsenext to the stressor
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INTRO TO THE STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEM
Share: • What do you notice about your stressors?
• What do you notice about your physical, emotional, and mental responses to stress (your symptoms)?
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INTRO TO THE STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEM
ADRENALINE AND CORTISOLYour heart
beats faster Your blood
pressure
increases
Perspiration
increases
Liver releases
sugar
Arms and legs
receive extra
energy
Breathing
quickens
Stomach
constricts
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INTRO TO THE STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEM
PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION TO STRESS
• Increase immediate availability of energy
• Increase oxygen intake
• Inhibit growth, digestion, reproductive function, pain perception
• Increase blood flow to important flight/flight areas
• Enhancement of memory/performance
• Boost immune function
• Release of mood stabilizers & endorphins
Flight.
Freeze.
Fight.
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Positive Stress Tolerable Stress Toxic StressBrief increases in heart rate, mild
elevations in stress hormone levels Serious, temporary stress responses, buffered by supportive relationships
Prolonged activation of stress response systems in the absence of protective relationships
Alerts and prepares us Manageable through buffering relationships
If left unbuffered, can affect development of the brain and body
For all children, positive relationships and environments buffer the effects of stress and catalyze healthy development.
Source: Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
NEW LEARNING
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INTRO TO THE STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEM
Question(s):
How might stress be impacting children
you work with or families you support? (What might they be experiencing as positive stress?
Tolerable stress? Toxic stress?)
STOPAND
THINK
Brain Science for Early Childhood
How does stress impact learning and the
developing brain?
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The Limbic System
The Brain’s Learning Centers
The Limbic System
The Effects of Chronic, Unbuffered Stress
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Question(s):
What is the impact on learning and
development when a child’s stress
response system is activated?
Why do you think this so important for
families, care providers, teachers,
schools, etc. to understand?
HOW WOULDYOU
EXPLAIN IT?
BRAIN SCIENCE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
Q & A !
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Understanding How Context Drives Development
What do we mean by context and why does
context matter?
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Context MattersAll children develop in context – the array of relationships, environment, and societal structures they interact with both directly and indirectly.
This bidirectional relationship between a child and their context, biology, and environment drives all development.
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Context MattersThe microsystem context is the child’s immediate environment and relationships, with which the child interacts directly.
For example, this may include families, teachers, or peers, school, a neighbor’s apartment, or the local community center.
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Context MattersThe mesosystem context acknowledges that both the child’s immediate environment and the relationships between aspects of the child’s immediate environment can impact development.
For example, the interactions between teachers and parents or the coordination between the school and doctor’s office may affect the child even if the child is not directly involved.
STRESS HORMONE
CORTISOL
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Context MattersThe larger macrosystem includes the cultural context in which a child develops – social and political context, laws, policies, etc. While the child may not interact with the macrosystem directly, it can shape the child’s experiences.
For example, institutionalized racism in the justice system may affect a child’s community or family –and, therefore, the child.
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Understanding How Context Drives Development
What conditions can hinder learning and development?
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INTRO TO THE STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEM
Share:
The word trauma gets thrown around a
lot and, in some circles, has become a
bit of a buzzword…
• What do you think “counts” as
“trauma”?
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INTRO TO TRAUMA and ACEs
Trauma occurs when…
• Children are exposed to events or situations that overwhelm their ability to cope with what they have just
experienced
• Child physical abuse
• Child sexual abuse
• Child emotional abuse
• Emotional neglect • Witnessing domestic violence
against the mother
• Loss of a parent to death or
abandonment by parental
divorce
• Incarceration of any family
member for a crime
• Physical neglect
• Mentally ill, depressed or
suicidal person in the
home
• Drug addicted or alcoholic
family member
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• Housing
Instability/Homelessness
• Separation from Parents
• Overly Punitive School
Discipline
• Racism
• Poverty
• Systemic Oppression
• Exposure to Community Violence
• Microaggressions
• Stereotype Threat
NOT INCLUDED IN FELITTI STUDY
CHILDREN WHO EXPERIENCE 4 OR MORE ACEs:
10-12x 2-3x 32xgreater risk forINTRAVENOUSDRUG USE and
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
greater risk ofdeveloping HEART
DISEASE and CANCER
more likely to haveLEARNING and
BEHAVIORALPROBLEMS
8 10outof
LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH in the U.S.correlate with exposure to 4 or more ACEs
Source: Felitti et al. (1998)34
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6 OR MORE ACEs:
on average, lifespan shortened by nearly
years20Source: Felitti et al. (1998) 35
WASHINGTON SCHOOL CLASSROOM OF 30 STUDENTS:
20% (6) students with no ACE
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WASHINGTON SCHOOL CLASSROOM OF 30 STUDENTS:
20% (6) students with no ACE80% (24) students with 1 or more ACEs
WASHINGTON SCHOOL CLASSROOM OF 30 STUDENTS:
20% (6) students with no ACE47% (14) students with 1-3 ACE23% (7) students with 4 or 5 ACEs10% (3) students with 6 or more ACEs
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ACEs and Well-Being in Adolescents
6%
25%
9%
18%
24%
13%12%
33%
13%
26%
34%
23%
14%
44%
16%
33%
40%
31%
21%
48%
23%
41%
44%
38%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Grade repetition Low engagementin school
Diagnosed with alearningdisability
Highexternalizing
behavior
Does not staycalm and
controlled
Householdcontacted due to
problems atschool
0 ACEs
1 ACE
2 ACEs
3+ ACEs
Source: Moore, Sacks, Bandy, & Murphey (2014)
NOTE: Parent report data
% o
f St
ud
en
ts
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INCREASED RISK :
DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY OR DISABILITY Increased risk for
• physical abuse
• emotional abuse
• neglect
• restraint and
seclusion
• sexual abuse
• medical procedures
• social rejection
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–Dr. Carl Bell
Question:
Imagine you are working with a preschool teacher or early educator who says that children just need to “leave what’s happening outside of school at the door.”
• What might you say to that person?
WHAT WOULD
YOU SAY?
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Understanding How Context Drives Development
What conditions help promote learning and
development?
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Positive, developmental relationships with adults are key to healthy growth across the developmental continuum. Early in life, an infant's relationship with primary caregivers is a critical foundation.
Building Blocks for Learning
SCIENCE GROUNDING
Attachment
The quality of relationships with caregivers can significantly impact a child’s development.
“Attachment” is one way to categorize the quality of key relationships between children and primary caregivers – as seen on the Building Blocks for Learning framework.
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Attunement: An adult’s ability to infer a child’s inner experience, such as feelings, thoughts and needs.
Responsiveness: Reacting appropriately to the child in response to the situation or state of the child at hand.
This critical foundation is built through a series of serve and return interactions that involve the following:
Positive Developmental RelationshipsPositive developmental relationships drive healthy development and learning – they serve as the “active ingredient” in effective interventions (Li & Julian, 2012). Importantly, these relationships help to mitigate the damaging effects of chronic, unbuffered stress for students.
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SAFE,CALM ANDPREDICTABLEENVIRONMENTSCREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT
Dysregulating vs. Co-Regulating Environments
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Sources: Mischel, Shoda, & Peake (1988); Mischel, Shoda, & Rodriguez (1989); Shoda, Mischel, & Peake (1990)
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Question(s):
What is standing out to you the most right
now about these conditions that promote
learning and development?
How might learning more about these
conditions help you to think differently about
a student (or caregiver for that matter) who
appears to be struggling to demonstrate a
skill?
WHOLEGROUP
SHARE
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CONTEXTWE CAN CREATE THE
TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIALIN EVERY CHILD
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I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child is humanized or dehumanized.”
- Dr. Hiam Ginott
“
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RESOURCES
Resources Sample Tools Purpose
1.1 Stress and the Learning Brain
ACEs Research Reflections for Educators
Stress Thermometer
When educators have a deep understanding of how adversity and stress can affect the brain, they create the foundation for supporting whole-child development with a trauma-sensitive lens.
1.2 Building Blocks for Learning
BBFL Paper, Video, & Guiding Questions
School Implications Reflection
When educators understand the intersection between holistic student development and academic performance, they are better equipped to develop the skills and mindsets students need to thrive in school.
Science Syllabus Additional articles, videos, and books
When educators have access to curated scientific literature from multiple fields of research on how children learn and develop, specifically within the context of adversity, they are better able to lead through a trauma-sensitive lens and support others in doing the same.
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https://www.soldalliance.org/
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