The Repercussions of Violence Exposure on

Our Children Dr. Kathy Seifert

http://drkathyseifert.com

Children and Babies Are Born Innocent

NORMAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT

The Development of Non-aggression in Children. Until 2 ½ all children are aggressive sometimes.

From 2 ½ to 5 or 6 years old, children need to be taught by adults non-aggressive ways to solve problems and get their needs met.

Those that are not taught and guided will continue to be aggressive after they enter school. This is a red flag that intervention is needed.

Stage I – Ages 0-2. Immediate Gratification

Stage II – Ages 2 -7. Reciprocity begins to develop

Stage III – Ages 8 – 11. Empathy Develops. More organized , less impulsive.

Stage IV (12-18) Learning the importance of group membership and the “Golden Rule”

Can be blocked by Trauma

Can be blocked by Trauma

Can be blocked by Trauma

Piaget) Trauma Negatively Affects Moral Development, Kohlberg, 1969 (Expanded from

WHAT INTERFERES WITH NORMAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT

What kinds of violence can children be exposed to?

Domestic or community violence

Natural disasters

News reports of violence

Violent video games

Violent movies

WHAT DO CHILDREN LEARN WHEN EXPOSED TO VIOLENCE

The Inability to Escape Trauma Leaves one Trapped in Fight or Flight or Freeze Mode

TraumaFight/Flight

/Freeze

Numb – unable to act

Frontal Cortex Not in Use

New Stressor - High Arousal -

Excitability

Hyper- Vigilant – Poor executive

function

In the days of dinosaurs this reaction to stress was a survival strategy. And led to safety.

They learn to withdraw, hide or make themselves small.

Or they may become angry, hostile, defiant and aggressive.

How Can Exposure to Violence Affect Children

Depends on severity and chronicity and

Depends on support they get from other adults

Severe or chronic exposure without support can result in

Fears, anxiety, and depression

Acting out behaviors

Nightmares and poor sleep

Changes in eating habits

Not wanting to go to school

Delays in developing coping skills

Aggression toward others

Emotional Outbursts

Bullying

How can that be changed?

Prevention

Assessment

Treatment

Risk Managment

PREVENTION: What can parents do?

Listen to your child

Validate his emotions – all of his emotions are okay

Explain anything that is confusing

Explain things on your child’s developmental level

Limit watching reports of violence on TV

Reassure child that you will take care of him and keep him safe

Rehearse actions to take in an emergency

Teach non-aggressive ways to solve problems

PREVENTION: What can schools do?

Anti-bullying programs school wide such as Olweus; http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/index.page

Character building programs like Character Counts; http://charactercounts.org/

Respect Programs such as Operation Respect; http://www.operationrespect.org/index2.php

Assess all youth that commit aggression or bullying to determine the types and levels of service needed to prevent future bullying, Such as the CARE2. http://care2systems.com

PREVENTION: What the Community Can Do.

Home Visiting Programs

Head Start with family involvement

School based Mental Health

Coordination among agencies for high risk cases.

INTERVENTIONS

INTERVENTIONS: Bullying at School

There are 2 types of bullies: Chronic and one to three time bullies

One to three time bullies can be taught to change behavior

Chronic bullies are likely to have more serious problems and need professional intervention

Bullying is an adult problem to solve because it is about changing a child’s behavior. Children are not sophisticated enough to know how to do that.

INTERVENTIONS: What Parents can do about School Bullies

Talk to your children about the school day, so you know if they are being bullied

If there is bullying, go to the school for solutions and insist that it is handled

Make sure the school knows the difference in interventions for youth with minor and major problems.

Suspension is not a sufficient answer for bullies with severe problems.

Make sure the school watches for retaliation from the bullies.

Watch for Cyber bullying

INTERVENTIONS: Things to limit

Violence in news reports

Violence in movies

Violence in video games

Violence on the internet – know the sites your child goes to on the internet. Place the computer the child uses in a place of high traffic in the home.

Let the child know that the computer will be checked for material that is not good for them.

INTERVENTIONS: Levels of Treatment

High Risk – Multiple, Intensive Services including family, PRP, medication, help at school, safety at home and in the community, trauma informed treatment, and developmentally informed skill building for multiple years

Medium Risk – Individual, group, family, PRP skill building twice a week for a year.

Low Risk – individual, family or group weekly for 6 months.

EBP

•Case management•Multi-system integration•Family Therapy•Developmental approaches with skill building•CBT•Role playing•Dosage is important•Holistic approaches•Neuro-feedback & CES•Wrap-around

INTERVENTIONS: Evidence based treatment for complex cases

Provide interventions that match the child’s developmental level.

Many severely traumatized children are at the immediate gratification stage of development and are seeking a safe base. Immediate gratification and needs of the self are primary

Must learn perspective taking and reciprocity before empathy

A safe environment is essential for healthy development. If the youth is still seeking a safe base, that must be established before exploration of the world and information gathering

You need some type of developmental guide for use in your treatment plan