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Traumatic Stress, Shelly Norris, Study Showing PTSD in Children…

- - - - Symptoms*
- - - - Implement SEL strategies such as "Appreciation, Apology, Aha!", daily check-ins, and feelings journals to allow for peaceful resolution of disagreements.
      - Teach students peaceful conflict resolution strategies
      - Reward positive and pro-social behavior
      - If you see a tense situation, approach it and try to defuse it through humor, not anger.
      - If humor fails, use harsh verbal warnings
      - Disperse crowds to prevent excess injury
      - Maintain a good relationship with your students so they feel able to approach you with any issues or problems they have.
      - Maintain good relationships with parents and ensure they are informed of any dangerous situations in which their children are involved
- - - - Reading book about new siblings
      - Build relationship
      - Look beyond the behaviour
      - Be predictable
      - Create a safe environment
      - Creating a fun based classroom
      - Student choice of studies
      - Breathing excercise
      - Classroom reward programs
      - Group activity for diverting the mind
      - School outing / Party
- - - - Preschool
        Avoid euphemisms are preschoolers have trouble understanding death and may believe death is reversible.
        Provide opportunities to express thoughts and feelings about death through play activities and drawing.
        Answer questions using concrete descriptions and be prepared to repeatedly answer questions.
        Elementary School
        These students may ask questions and seek to try to understand what happened. Be patient and refer them to adults that can answer their questions.
        Students below the age of eight may engage in magical thinking and believe they could have prevented the death. Recognize these feelings and fears but don't validate them.
        Students aged nine to twelve may feel less comfortable showing feelings and seeing expressions of grief in others. Make sure to provide these students with a variety of ways to express grief.
        Middle & High School
        Do not force students to share their feelings with others, including their peers if they don't feel comfortable. Provide them with opportunities to share their feelings privately.
        Students often seek support via social media. Be aware of what is being posted and shared. Encourage students to seek support for a friend in need.
        Students in their mid-to-late teens tend to feel more comfortable expressing their feelings and grief similar to adults.
      - General Tips for any age group
        
        Be simple and straightforward. Discuss death in developmentally appropriate terms for students.
        
        Use words such as “death,” “die,” or “dying” in your conversations and avoid euphemisms such as “they went away,” “they are sleeping,” “departed,” and “passed away.” Such euphemisms are abstract and may be confusing, especially for younger children.
        
        Let students know that death is not contagious. Although all human beings will die at some point, death is not something that can be “caught” and it is unusual for children to die.
        
        Be brief and patient. Remember that you may have to answer the same question multiple times and repeat key information to ensure understanding.
        
        Listen, acknowledge feelings, and be nonjudgmental.
        
        Express your own feelings in an open, calm, and appropriate way that encourages students to share their feelings and grief.
        
        Avoid making assumptions and imposing your own beliefs on students.
        
        A variety of feelings are normal. Be sensitive to each student’s experience, as there is no one right way to respond to a loss. Feelings and behaviors will vary across students and will change throughout the bereavement process.
        
        Normalize expressed feelings by telling students such are common after a death. However, if their expressions include risk to self (e.g. suicidal thoughts) or others, refer immediately to the appropriate professionals.
        
        Be sensitive to cultural differences of students and their families in expressing grief and honoring the dead.
        
        Consider a student’s intellectual abilities, behavior, and conceptual understanding of death. For children with developmental disabilities. Their limited communication skills do not mean they are unaffected by the death. Behaviors such as increased frustration and compulsivity, somatic complaints, relationship difficulties, and increased self-stimulatory behaviors may be expressions of grief.
        
        Maintain a normal routine in your classroom and engage students in activities they previously enjoyed.
        
        Provide the opportunity to talk and ask questions and use these questions to guide further discussion. Encourage students to share feelings, but in ways that are not disruptive to the class or hurtful to other students.
        
        Keep in mind that some children may have a difficult time expressing their feelings or may not feel comfortable talking at school. Do not pressure these students to talk. Some may prefer writing, drawing, listening to music, or playing a game instead of talking about their feelings. Provide students with a variety of options for expressing grief.
        
        Talk to the bereaved student’s classmates about grief and emphasize the importance of being understanding and sensitive.
        
        Help bereaved students find a peer support group. There will likely be other who have also experienced the death of a loved one.
- - - - Check in with students when they seem on edge to find out how they are feeling and why.
      - Encourage a healthy relationship with technology.
      - Help students set realistic expectations for their use of time. Check in with them when they are doing big projects so they don't fall behind and try to get it all done at the end.
      - For those overachievers that brag about their ability to get good grades despite lack of sleep, show them studies on how lack of sleep affects cognitive function and development
        Citation
        Alhola, Paula, and Päivi Polo-Kantola. “Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance.” Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment vol. 3,5 (2007): 553-67.
      - Have a discussion with counselling and nursing faculty to see how to best care for sleep deprived students. For extreme cases of sleep deprivation, ensure there is a safe and quiet place for them to take a nap, ie: nurse's office
- - - - Actively reroute conversations that adopt a fearful or stressful tone. Instead focus on recover and rebuilding.
      - Schedule discussion when extra support is present.
      - Set limits for talking about the natural disaster. For example 5 minutes of class time can be used for discussion, then end the discussion and divert to other positive topics.
      - Maintain a teachers role and model calmness and appropriate coping behaviors.
- - - - :
        
        Behavioral changes, sudden outbursts, anxiety
      - Symptoms of substance abuse like low concentration, detachment, paranoia, physical symptoms of drug use can occur because children who witness drug addiction are more likely to develop addiction to substances themselves
      - Avoidance (eg, refusal to participate in school activities related to the disaster,
        refusal to talk about the event, memory blanks for important aspects of the event)
      - Emotional numbing, flat tone
      - Decline in school performance, loss of interest in activities
      - increase in physical complaints like headaches, stomach aches, etc.
      - frequent absences, poor condition of clothing/materials. Lack of necessary material for school
      - Account of Child with Drug Addicted Parent
        
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXNrrcmsWYY
- - - - They hoard snacks and food.
      - They are bullying or behaving badly.
      - They suddenly lose or gain weight.
      - They are bullying or behaving badly.
      - Ask about food every day and they’re not picky.
      - Poor physical growth.
      - Changes in bowel habits
      - Poor concentration levels in school
      - Responses
        
        Schools can apply for existing Federal, state, and local hunger/food programs
        
        Schools can adopt school policies that improve food access and local food consumption
        
        Schools can ensure government‐sponsored meal assistance is received by all eligible students
        
        Schools can support students in raising awareness and educating school and
        community leaders, fellow students, and their families about hunger programs
        
        Communities can bolster local food programs that reach out to children and students in
        and out of school (youth can help start programs)
        
        Communities can raise funds to support school and afterschool programs
        
        Communities can encourage volunteering with local food pantries/banks, farmers
        markets, food share programs, etc
- - - - Cultural Issues.
        If a student in the classroom has cultural issues the teacher can address this issue with the following.
        
        Teacher can take time to get to know the student
        
        Create norms in the classroom inclusive of all cultures
        
        Have open communication with the student such as 1 v 1 meetings “check-in”
        
        Have open communication with parents to share what difficulties they face
        
        Invite the family to the school to give their knowledge and experience
        
        Incorporate diversity in the lesson plan
        
        Learn about the different cultures within the classroom (international day)
        
        For more information about diversity in the classroom please check this website 7 ways to support diversity in the classroom with examples (https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/diversity-in-the-classroom/)
        
        Coronavirus
        If a student is facing problems because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the teacher can address this issue with the following.
        
        Ask the students what you can do to help them and let them know you are there for them
        
        Have discussions about Covid-19 the fears and address any misconceptions
        
        Create a platform for students to discuss Covid-19, create norms for discussions and the teacher can monitor the conversation
        
        Be open to change the schedule and workload
        
        Allow for an extension on assignments
        
        Create lessons about coping with stress and anxiety
        
        Have 1 v 1 meetings with the students
- - - - Discussions about topics like reporting bullying
      - Creative writing, such as a poem speaking out against bullying or a story or skit teaching bystanders how to help
      - Presentations, such as a speech or role-play on stopping bullying
      - Have a written bullying prevention ‘code of behavior’ that everyone signs. It should be posted in a public place with signatures. Review it regularly with everyone involved.
      - Internet or library research, such as looking up types of bullying, how to prevent it, and how kids should respond
      - When bullying happens, separate and support all involved; speak to each individual privately to find out what happened.

Symptoms of cultural issues

  Extreme homesickness (if student is has migrated to country)

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Feeling helpless
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 Student is isolated and sad
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 Loss of focus and ability to complete tasks

 Hyper-irritability, include anger and hostility

Symptoms of issues with Coronavirus

       Excessive paranoia, worry, or anxiety.

           Long-lasting sadness or irritability.

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         Extreme changes in moods.
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          Social withdrawal.
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       Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping pattern.