Types of Traumatic Stress for Students
(Nicole Collins) Loss of a loved one
Child Abuse by Family Members (Sara Trail)
(Nicole Collins) Possible Symptoms: high stress, distant, defiant, prone to fight or flight, angry towards others, low grades, difficulty learning/remembering content, depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation and attempts, increased risk of substance abuse, violence, risky sexual behavior, drop out of school, depression, anxiety, low self esteem, tired, feeling sad and alone, distracted, trouble sleeping, unable to work well in collaborative groups
(Nicole Collins) Response Strategies: allow student to express themselves in writing or drawing, provide tutoring, modify assignments and tests, excuse student from testing for a period of time, more time for assignments, maintain routines, reach out to the family before the student returns, ask the student what they want shared, have a safe space for the student to go when they need it, be aware of assignments that could trigger the trauma or grief, school could start a grief group.
(Nicole Collins) Experience a natural disaster
(Nicole Collins) Response Strategies: monitor symptoms over time, maintain routines and expectations, maintain logical consequences and explore the root of misbehavior, relaxation space in the classroom, provide choices to allow the student to regain some control, be aware of the anniversary of the trauma to plan ahead/anticipate difficulties, focus on the student's strength, praise positive behavior, help student build a support system
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Arrest by Police (Sara Trail)
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A primary rationalization to exclude criminally involved students from school is accountability: test scores, truancy rates, and graduation statistics all believed to be adversely affected by re-enrolling students who have had contact with the criminal justice system
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R. J. Kirk and D. S. Sampson, Oct. 10, 2014, Juvenile Arrest and Collateral Education Damage in the Transition to Adulthood (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4192649/)
Teacher/Schools should develop special protocol to build relationship with justice-system involved students.
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Arrest disrupts the schooling process and results in collateral educational damage.
Students with criminal records may be pushed out of high school through exclusionary policies, and they may be segregated into specialized programs for problem adolescents.
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Schools and Teachers cannot ignore warning signs of ACE implacted students.
Karen Abram, associate director of the Northwestern Juvenile Project, clinical psychologist, and study co-author, suggests that detention centers can best help by screening youths for psychiatric problems; providing emergency services when needed; and carefully linking youths to community services upon release. Rockett D., APril 27, 2021, Chicago Tribune, https://www.chicagotribune.com/living/health/ct-health-youth-incarceration-psychiatric-disorders-0427-20210427-mi5b4s6i3zdoxn52ds5agjxpyy-story.html.”
Convicted, (but released) murderer Hudson, “I do believe that intervention, at the right time, would have made a difference in my whole life story . . . (rather being prosecuted and sent away for the rest of his life), someone should have intervened when he was 11.
Rockett D., APril 27, 2021, Chicago Tribune, https://www.chicagotribune.com/living/health/ct-health-youth-incarceration-psychiatric-disorders-0427-20210427-mi5b4s6i3zdoxn52ds5agjxpyy-story.html.”
Students traumatized by arrest and/or incarceration experience depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol use, drug use, and disruptive behavior
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When a teacher suspects or becomes aware that a student is justic-system involved, the teacher can respond by:
- Meeting student, parents, guardians to learn what additional supports, if any, the teacher can put into place to emotionally support the student.
- The teacher can help secure school resources, i. e., school social worker, psychologist, nurse as well as make suggestions regarding community resources the student may avail him/herself of.
- The teacher should offer to and may well have to tailor school assignments to the justice-system involved student to maintain a strong and caring connection with the student to ensure that the student continues to make academic progress.
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Symptoms and Responses
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Neglect:
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Always looking dirty, Poor weight gain and growth
Being left alone or in the care of other young children
Eating more than usual at a meal or saving food for later
Missing a lot of school
Doesn’t get medical, dental, or mental health care (medical neglect)
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physical abuse
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Be violent to friends, bully others
Avoid any kind of touch or physical contact
Be afraid to go home
Seem to always be on high alert
Wear clothing that doesn’t match the weather -- such as long sleeves on hot days -- to cover up bruises
Withdraw from friends and activities
sexual abuse
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Avoiding a certain person for no clear reason
Bloody, torn, or stained underwear
Bruising or bleeding around the genitals.
Pain or itching around the genitals that might cause problems walking or sitting
Refusing to change clothes in front of others
Sexual activity or knowledge that people usually have only when they’re older
exploitation and emotional abuse
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Responses and Strategies
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Report to experts and communities
Schools will need resources to hire specialists such as special education experts and school psychologists to help support vulnerable students.
For children who have experienced trauma in their lives, building rapport with and confidence in others is a challenging task. When planning classes or hiring more teachers, schools could prioritize hiring teachers with familiarity with students through earlier teaching placements or substitution work. They can plan also pair up new teachers with people in the schools who know the students.
If they need medical care right away, call 911.
Take the student to the hospital -- it’s a haven for abused children. Doctors can check for signs of abuse and give medical care.
Tell the principal about it. But report it to your local or state child protection agency, too.
Help the student get therapy to start healing the emotional damage of the abuse.
It’s best to not confront the abuser yourself. Instead, contact police or a child protection agency and let them handle it.
Build school-community partnerships
Schools and social and community services should create partnerships to ensure maintaining and continuing a collective response to the needs of vulnerable children and their families.
School principals could contact community organizations, compile available resources and share this information with families.
Schools are full of committed, competent and passionate employees who have points of view that should be taken into account in the implementation of actions. Student and parent committees can be called upon to help ensure that everyone has a voice and to participate in developing solutions.
Teachers' responses and strategies
Make sure they feel supported and know this is not their fault.
Encourage the student to talk to you about what happened. But don't make it an interrogation. Focus on listening.
Difficulties with emotion regulation and impulse control (Anger, violence)
Mindful Breathing: Slowing down our breath hits the brake of the stress response by decreasing our heart rate and resetting the autonomic nervous system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Encourage the student to express their emotions through a variety of creative ways: this is part of the healing process, and can happen through a variety of creative ways, like drawing, squeezing soft toys.
Compassion: being calm & caring for ourselves and others
Accurate Mirroring: stating what is happening without interpretation, judgment, guilt, shaming
Something TO DO to soothe, support, ground themselves: giving them an activity which helps them slow down and shift themselves
Low self-esteem, depression
Encourage them to talk to the teacher about how they have been feeling since the traumatic event. Try to get an idea about any worries they may have or difficulties they are experiencing. Provide comfort and support and let them know that lots of people struggle with unwanted thoughts, feelings and memories after a traumatic event. But also let them know that we are there for them, and that there is extra help available.
Positive self-talk: pull out the student and have one on one time with the teacher. Have him/her say out loud the positive side of himself/herself.
Calling upon our best self: Calling upon our best self in moments of intense emotions can be compelling to emotionally regulate and avoid overreacting.
Help build self-esteem: Make sure to notice and praise good interactions and speech. Describe what they do well and identify and work with their other strengths, such as creativity and physical talents.
Anxiety, fear, constant worry about doing something wrong
Have predictable and consistent routines. If the student knows what to expect, he/she will have a greater sense of control and be less apprehensive. It is important to lessen the degree of anxiety in the student.
Give the student ‘helping roles’ such as handling out snacks or distributing work materials to other students. Coach the student to use socially appropriate speech with peers, like “Would you like a snack?” The more frequently that the student tries interacting with others, the more that the student will feel comfortable with doing things without worries.
Withdrawing from others and activities
Create a classroom environment that supports all students. Never make fun of or demean students.
Reinforce social interactions. Be specific. For example, “Eric, your comment about soccer in class today was a wonderful addition to the class discussion” instead of “Good job”. Do not pick apart students for being wrong or unclear, but reinforce their good behaviors.
Give the student ‘helping roles’ such as handling out snacks or distributing work materials to other students. Coach the student to use socially appropriate speech with peers, like “Would you like a snack?” The more frequently that other students experience positive interactions with the student, the more that they will feel comfortable with that student.
Have predictable and consistent routines. If the student knows what to expect, he/she will have a greater sense of control and be less apprehensive. It is important to lessen the degree of anxiety in the student.
Use very small social groups to allow for more peer interaction. Try to place the shy child with a warm, calm, and accepting peer in a cooperative activity. Also consider arranging classroom seats so that shy children are adjacent to friendlier, outgoing classmates.
Try to provide positive peer interactions with the use of a central toy or game, as opposed to smaller individual toys. When students are engaged in play with a large object, such as a rocking boat, there is less argumentation and more interaction between students.
Have students write papers in which they discuss their strengths and weaknesses as communicators. Do not ask them to read these or share them with peers.
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References
- Sharley, V. Identifying and Responding to Child Neglect within Schools: Differing Perspectives and the Implications for Inter-Agency Practice. Child Ind Res 13, 551–571 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-019-09681-z
- Misha Ketchell, May 5, 2020, 4 strategies to support vulnerable students when schools reopen after coronavirus, https://theconversation.com/4-strategies-to-support-vulnerable-students-when-schools-reopen-after-coronavirus-136201
- Hansa D. Bhargava, MD. September 08, 2020, Signs of child abuse, https://www.webmd.com/children/child-abuse-signs
- Leah Kalish, Sept. 20, 2020, Impulse Control Strategies for Students, https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2020/09/27/impulse-control-strategies-for-students-2/
- Crozier, W. (2001). Understanding shyness. New York, NY: Palgrave.
Shyness: development, consolidation, & change. (2000). New York, NY:
Substance Abuse by Parent (Michelle Thomas)
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(Nicole Collins) Resources:
(Nicole Collins) Slomski, Anita. (November, 17, 2021). Thousands of US Youths Cope with Losing Parents to Covid-19. JAMA Network. Retrieved September 27, 2022 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2786533#:~:text=Losing%20a%20parent%20is%20among,sexual%20abuse%2C%20and%20shorter%20schooling.
(Nicole Collins) Park, Christine. (May 17, 2013). 5 Tips for Supporting Grieving Students. Edutopia. Retrieved on September 27, 2022 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-grief-at-school-2-chris-park
(Nicole Collins) Flannery, Mary Ellen. (November 1, 2021). When Students Grieve, How Can Educators Help? NEA News. Retrieved on September 27, 2022 from https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/when-students-grieve-how-can-educators-help
(Nicole Collins) Video: Talking with Children Who've Lost a Parent
(Nicole Collins) Possible Symptoms: asking questions about the future, avoiding talking about what happened, crying, depressed, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, upset stomach, headache, increased heart rate, losing temper, difficulty concentrating, hard time getting school work done, difficulty interacting with others, clinginess, lower grades, substance abuse, high risk behavior, anxiety disorder, changes in mood, poor attendance
(Nicole Collins) Video: Are You OK?
Symptoms / Effects & Signs (Michelle Thomas
Physical Neglect of Child
Emotional Neglect of Child
Substance abuse by child
Ultimate Abandonment by Parent
Acting unusually silly / outgoing / without reservations
Leaving repeatedly in class for bathroom
Seeks out less supervised areas of recess / lunch space
Poor hygiene (child appears ungroomed)
Not dressed appropriately for weather
Unwashed clothing
No packed lunches
Expresses both resentment and overprotection of family in school responses
May seek exceptionally large attention from adult figures
May be exceptionally avoidant of adult figures
Unusual distraction from classwork
Uncontrolled crying that may go hidden or very apparent in public breakdown
Self-blaming
Response Strategies (Michelle Thomas)
Provide many opportunities to share safely about challenges at home through SEL-style prompts in English
Invest time in developing strong, positive student-teacher relationships, talking to students about non-academics in unstructured time
Make some basic hygiene supplies available to all students in a known and somewhat discreet location in the classroom
Immediately report any suspected physical abuse or neglect
Don't be afraid to share nonjudgemental "notices" with student about themselves privately
Ask the school counselor to do a common student check-in, perhaps with several students over several days so as to not single out the child
Actively listen during breakdowns, validate feelings, and quietly enforce that there will be support going forward
Talk with those who seek out adult figures and do not force extensive relationships with those who avoid adult figures
Enforce boundaries that keep students out of any hard to supervise spaces during lunch / recess, when possible
Resources
The Right Step. (2022, January 12). Symptoms of children with parents who abuse drugs. The Right Step. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.rightstep.com/rehab-blog/symptoms-children-parents-abuse-drugs/
Thatcher, T. (2020, November 12). How parental substance abuse impacts kids: Valley cares. Valley Cares. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://valleycares.com/blog/families-in-crisis-how-parental-substance-abuse-and-mental-health-impacts-kids/
Talking About Parental Addiction Video:
Sesame Street. (2020, September 10). Parental addiction. Sesame Street in Communities. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/parental-addiction/
Divorce (Lindsey Owens)
Video (for young students) Sesame Street: Little Children, Big Challenges - Divorce - "Big Feelings" Song
Possible Symptoms: difficulty managing emotions, more frequent crying, more impulsive and/or attention-seeking behavior, difficulty concentrating at school, trouble sleeping, changes in mood, poor attendance, increased separation anxiety, lack of interest in activities they used to enjoy, headaches or stomach problems, increased conflict with peers, problems forming trusting relationships with others
Responsible Strategies: be an active listener, create a safe space for them to express their emotions (such as a peace corner), do not dismiss their concerns or worries, arrange a meeting with student and parent(s), meet with PLC team to discuss strategies specific to that student, praise positive behavior, have diverse books/videos that show different family units in the classroom library, help students self-manage and self-reflect, encourage the student to meet with the counselor
References: Patel, S. (2021, February 18). The Impact of Divorce on School-Aged Children | Counseling@NYU. NYU-MAC. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://counseling.steinhardt.nyu.edu/blog/impact-of-divorce-on-students/ Rosenbalm, B. (2018, October 4). Supporting students with adverse childhood experiences. EducationNC. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.ednc.org/supporting-students-with-adverse-childhood-experiences/ Sesame Street. (2012, December 11). Sesame Street: Little Children, Big Challenges - Divorce - “Big Feelings” Song. YouTube. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from
Kyndal (Gang Violence)
References- David-Ferdon, C., Simon, T. R., & National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, D. D. of V. P. (2014). Preventing Youth Violence: Opportunities for Action. In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Nicole Collins) Resources:
(Nicole Collins) CONROD. (n.d.). Childhood Trauma Reactions: Teacher Manual. The University of Queensland Australia. Retrieved on September 27, 2022 from https://schools.aidr.org.au/media/4605/conrod_childhood-trauma-reactions.pdf
Gang Violence- Defining a gang can be difficult. There are three common categories peer groups, street gangs and organized crime groups.
Strategies and Prevention -There are Child in Need Assessments that can be filled out. The Early Help Assessment, Child's Social Care and any police within the area.
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Sexual Abuse
(Caleb)
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Mourning and Grief (Caleb
Acting immaturely, fear of being alone, fear of people with certain characteristics (such as height, hair color, etc.), fear of being touched, substance abuse, sex play with friends or classmates, drawings of a sexual nature
Eating more or less, urinary issues, physical pain in genitalia, discharge in genitalia, bleeding
Response Strategies
Expectations: reward children for good behavior
Expression: Empower students by encouraging creativity in writing and drawing
Identity: Praise students and explain their positive points to create an identity ("You help others, so you're a helpful classmate")
Belonging: Give students a personal space that is their own and customize it with student achievements
Social Skills: Teach, as a class and individually, examples of positive social behavior, such as physical boundries and self-respect
Clinginess, immaturity, academic issues, sleeping issues, concentration issues,anxiety, feelings of abandonment, sudden behavioral changes, guilt
Expression: give an outlet for the child's grief through art
Bibliotherapy: Introduce stories or readings about loss and death to help children identify with others going through similar situations
SEL: Use Social Emotional Learning techniques to discuss feelings of sadness and loss with the class and individually with the student, as well as coping strategies
Emotional Awareness and Breaks: Allow students breaks if they express that they're feeling sad and want to take a break
Psychological Abuse (Claire Bloomfield)
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(Symptoms of the Abuser) Isolating a child, Verbal Aggression, Threats, Intimidation, Manipulation, Harassment, public shame or embarrassment, Insults or deflating comments, Controlling behavior, Stalking, Threats of harm and self-harm, Rejection: refuse to help/support, manipulate with gifts or love, Scorn: Humiliate, shame, ridicule, Terrorism: Threaten violence, abandonment, destroy possessions, Sets too strict and unrealistic expectations: Makes it impossible for a child to meet, Encourages child in negative behavior, Acting indifferent: not meeting emotional needs, not offering support, not showing support, uses personal information to shame or manipulate
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(Signs/ Effects/ Symptoms of Psychological Abuse) It is difficult to spot because there are no physical marks, hard to prove, low self-esteem, shy, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, stuck in "flight or flight mode" or stuck in a state of fear, negative self talk, stomach issues, low appetite, Withholding love (fear to share love with others), Withholding support or guidance, Less likely to offer hugs or fear physical touch, eating disorders (need to unhealthy controll in life), difficulty building bonds with others, hightest states of anger , unorganized or shattered, detached or "head in the clouds", not wanting to go home ect., attachment issues, anti social traits, higher risks of health problems, extream weight loss
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Response Strategies
When students use negative self talk: Ask them why they think this? Did someone say this to you?
Encourage students to build bonds with other peers. Introduce them into healthy "clubs" to build relationships
Checkin in with students: Ask them how things are at home
Maybe there could be a "big sister/ brother" program at school where students can build a healthy roll model
Teach children how to let go of anger in a healthy way (for younger kids)(https://misterrogers.org/videos/what-to-you-do-with-the-mad-that-you-feel/)
Create a safe space in the classroom for students to go to when they are feeling anxious or depressed ect
connect student with the school councilor and learning center for more emotional support
Use a lot of self- empowering talk with students, and teach them positive mantra
Teach students about boundaries and how to build healthy relationships
Believe the child: It is not our job to be detectives or find evidence. Believe the child and REPORT the issue.
Can the school work with the parents and collaborate with the families for healthy parents skills ect.
Just listen and being there for a child can move mountain for them. Show them support and show them healthy bonds/ support
Teach students self regulation skills
Positive Peer Groups: join clubs, sports, leadership rolls
Positive and Safe classroom environment
Citations: YouTube. (2021, September 29). Psychological abuse in children: Signs and resources. YouTube. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from
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VIdeo:
Build children’s and adolescents’ skills and competencies to choose nonviolent, safe behaviors.
Foster safe, stable, nurturing relationships between young people and their parents and caregivers.
Build and maintain positive relationships between young people and caring adults in their community.
Develop and implement school-wide activities and policies to foster social connectedness and a positive environment.
Improve and sustain a safe physical environment in communities and create spaces to strengthen social relationships.
Build viable and stable communities by promoting economic opportunities and growth.
Facilitate the social cohesion and collective efficacy of the community.
Change societal norms about the acceptability of violence and willingness to intervene.
Change the social and structural conditions that affect youth violence and lead to health inequity
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Act unusual behavior.
Social-emotional stress/depress
Stress or anxiety around academics- increased workload and academic expectations.
feel alone, do not want o talk with anyone, get attention in an improper way in class, are angry with others, are always in a bad temper, etc.
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Look for your orientation packet
Tackle academic problems early.
Connect with other students.
Solutions
Reasons
Possible symptoms:
New transfer students
Jian Zhang
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Abandonment by a parent/Caregiver (Yasmith Duran
Symptoms and Responses
Acting sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks
Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart or fast breathing
Extreme difficulty concentrating or staying still that puts the student in physical danger or causes problems in the classroom
Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships.
Show empathy and compassion, let the student know the teacher is available if he/she needs to talk.
Remind the student about the classroom being a safe place to student and teacher
Offer the classroom’s safe place (in this place you can: read, listen to a story, breathe, do yoga, stress balls, count starts…) at anything he/she is feeling overwhelmed, frustrated…
Be and active listener in case the student wants/needs to talk
Make the school counselor aware of the situation.
Regulate the classroom lights, observate if the student gets to relax when the lights aren’t too bright.
Play calming music during the activities.
Strategies
Students from a new born sibling family text
Discuss with parents
Acknowledge his feelings.
Read stories about his new role
Ask the students advise on how to support him/her, and how to support the newborn baby in the house
Aggress, yelling to others, sad, feel alone, do not want o talk with anyone, get attention in an improper way in class, are angry with others, are always in a bad temper, etc.
Possible symptom
Meeting with entire group, ask students who had the same experience to share how to hand this situation (peer support)
Jian Zhang
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Neglect (Alexander Rose)
Symptoms of neglect
Theft of food or money
Lacks needed medical or dental care
Frequently unsupervised, left alone or allowed to play in unsafe situations and environments
Wearing the same clothes to school repeatedly
Frequently absent from school
Strategies
Report to Social worker Immediately.