Trauma in the Classroom

Addressing trauma in the classroom is a difficult task for any educator regardless of experience. While shared traumatic events provide teaching moments such as the Parkland shooting, identifying and addressing students who have experienced personal and developmental trauma presents a challenge. Developmental trauma is a series of overwhelming events that occur within an individual's intimate circle of adults which derails typical development, affecting an individual's ability to cope. The most impactful trauma occurs within the first five years of someone's life because 80% of total brain mass is completed by age 5.

Kate Littlefield, a therapist who works with NFI, recently gave insight into the inner workings of children's brains and how trauma affects the brain at various stages of development. The earlier on the trauma occurs, the harder it is to reverse the effects. The human brain develops sequentially, first from the bottom with the brainstem to the top ending with the cortex. The brainstem controls everything we don't think about, like regulating body temperature, heart rate, and it controls our automatic responses to extreme stress. The diencephalon develops our senses and fine motor skills. The limbic region is what allows us to use various nonverbal cues to determine whether or not an environment is safe. Lastly, the cortex allows us to put words to what we feel and what is around us. This is where abstract cognitive functions occur.

Children who experience developmental trauma are trapped in an unhealthy attachment sequence in which their needs are ignored or unmet. This causes children to adapt to their experiences in ways that often include acting out or completely shutting down. Once these children reach high school, the effects are still readily apparent.

The 7 Domains of Impairment describe the results various researchers found in common when studying developmental trauma all around the world. These domains include the physical effects on the body such as hyper or hyposensitivity; attachment and relationships are often impacted by insecurity; the poor ability to anticipate, notice, and express emotion; poor cause and effect thinking, lack sustained curiosity and poor executive function; impulsivity; dissociation which entails disconnecting in various forms; lastly, poor self-concept occurs laden with shame and guilt.

Using these 7 domains, teachers can attempt to identify students who might have experienced traumatic events while growing up. Students who act out or do not seem to be interested in material or focused may have more going on beneath the surface that is not apparent at first-glance.

How do you address students who may have experienced trauma?
Responding with empathy is so important as it shows the student that they are safe and important. If it is unclear whether or not a student may have experienced trauma, responding to empathy will still communicate to the student that they are important, without incorrectly making assumptions. Empathy is the best response regardless of the situation because it creates a safe environment for all students allowing them to engage in learning. If it works for a student who has experienced trauma, it is probably beneficial for all students as well.

This workshop definitely helped me better understand how the brain develops and the importance of empathy in the classroom especially with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. This information solidifies my thoughts on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and how crucial it is for students to feel safe and important before they can accomplish the most basic tasks. Using this knowledge I hope to create a safe environment for all of my students!