The Language of this Chapter
Introduction
Trauma and Academics: Playing Chess in a Hurricane
Just How Pervasive is the Problem?
ACEs and School Performance.
Nature of Trauma
Symptoms of Trauma: When the Solution Is the Problem
Trauma and the Brain: The Neurobiology of Trauma
How Trauma Affects Learning.
Meeting the Challenge: Background Knowledge for Finding
Solutions
The Nature of Resiliency.
The Nature of Compassion.
A Working Definition of Compassionate Schools.
An Ecological View of Trauma and Resiliency.
Healing from Trauma in Other Cultures.
Trauma and Gender.
Compassion Requires That We Be Responsive and Relevant.
How Trauma Affects Those Who Care – Vicarious (Secondary)
Trauma
Summary.
Trauma -Defined
The Greek word “trauma” means an
injury or wound.
Trauma is not an event but a response to
an experience in which the individual’s response has
been compromised (both mind and body).
Enduring Consequences:
“Bruises Fade but the Memories Last Forever.”
Ecological and Systemic
Views of Trauma
When we see a child
with traumatic
affect, we are seeing
the tip of an iceberg
that extends into
family and
community.
Trauma in Our Schools
There is nothing new about the
p
presence of traumatized
children I
in our schools. What is new is
t
that trauma researchers have
u
quantified the pervasiveness of
trauma across urban, suburban and rural
communities and have established a direct measure
of cause and effect, a “dose-response” relationship,
between trauma and serious health issues.
(Felitti et al., 1998).
What are the signs?
•A ten-year-old who habitually falls asleep in class. This child is frequently
awakened in the night by the sounds of mother groaning and pleading as
father struck her repeatedly.
•A sixteen-year-old who doesn’t complete required homework. At home are
two parents, one who drinks too much, the other undergoing chemotherapy
for terminal cancer.
•An eight year-old who finds it difficult to concentrate on math. Last night,
while mother was out, step-father forced himself upon her, again. Echoing in
her mind is his threat,―Tell anyone and I swear, I will kill you and your
mother.
•An eleven-year-old whose frustrations explode into angry displays of
emotion. The fear—he and his older sibling may be―taken away from home
because of violent behavior. Where will they sleep tonight? Will they be safe?
Complex Trauma
•The trauma involves a violation of the basic safety and support
expected in intimate relationships. There is a high probability
that core social resources for recovery are also part of the
traumatizing events.
•The hallmark of complex trauma is that it persists over time.
While complex trauma exposure may be limited to a single or
short-term set of events, this is the exception.
• Trauma exposure is typically persistent but episodic. The
result is that the victim endures high levels of unpredictabile
and recurrent exposures to risk.
Traits of PTSD / Complex Trauma
Hyperarousal: Persistent expectation of danger and impaired
capacity to modulate intensity of responses.
Intrusion: Flashbacks during waking states and/or ongoing
traumatic nightmares.
Constriction: Transfixed in the glare of oncoming headlights.
Appear not to care. Dissociate, often with drugs/alcohol.
(Herman, 1992)
Complex Trauma: The experience of multiple or chronic and
prolonged, developmentally adverse traumatic events, most often
of a personal nature (sexual or physical abuse, family violence,
war, community violence) and early life onset.
(Spinazzola et al., 2005)
Biology of Traumatic Impact
Children with traumatic stress are operating within the mode of
“survival in the moment.”
“Survival in the moment” is governed by pathways in the brain
that appraise threat, sacrifice context for speed of response,
mobilize the body for fight, flight or freeze, leading to behavioral
responses outside of consciousness.
Higher order brain functions are temporarily put on hold when
survival is at stake. Behavioral responses are NOT DECISIONS, for
they are made at the lower levels (limbic system) of the brain.
(Greenwald O’Brien, 2008)
Biology of the Impact of Trauma
Neurobiological Consequences of Different Forms of
Childhood Maltreatment
Martin Teicher, M.D., Ph.D.
Traumatic exposure can produce lasting alterations in the
endocrine, autonomic and central nervous systems
including the function and structure of the Amygdala,
Corpus Callosum, Hippocampus, Cerebellar Vermis,
Cerebral Cortex.
Impulse control can become greatly reduced leading to
significant learning and behavior problems in the
classroom that are beyond the ability of the student to
control.
Brain Development Patterns
BRAIN
Hormones, chemicals &
cellular systems prepare for
a tough life in an evil world.
INDIVIDUAL
•Edgy.
•Hot temper.
•Impulsive.
•Hyper vigilant.
•“Brawn over
brains.”
TRAUMATIC
STRESS
OUTCOME
Individual &
species survive the
worst conditions.
Dissonance between
biological expectations &
social reality fuels psychiatric
disorders
NEUTRAL
START
BRAIN
Hormones, chemicals &
cellular systems prepare for
life in a benevolent world.
INDIVIDUAL
•Laid back.
•Relationshiporiented.
•Thinks things
through.
•“Process over
power.”
OUTCOME
Individual &
species live
peacefully in good
times; vulnerable
in poor conditions.
Adapted from the research of Martin Teicher, MD, Ph.D.
The Neurological Effects of Trauma (cont.)
Adverse Childhood Experiences
The 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences study, which sent
standardized questionnaires to 17,421 adult members of a large
HMO, found that 44 percent of respondents reported suffering
sexual, physical, or psychological abuse as children, and 12.5
percent reported having a mother who had been treated
violently.
(Fellitti et al., 1998)
WHAT ARE THE
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs)?
As defined by Drs. Anda and Felitti (2009)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Child physical abuse.
Child sexual abuse.
Child emotional abuse.
Emotional neglect.
Physical neglect.
Mentally ill, depressed or suicidal person in the home.
Drug addicted or alcoholic family member.
Witnessing domestic violence against the mother.
Loss of a parent to death or abandonment, including
abandonment by parental divorce.
10. Incarceration of any family member for a crime.
Trauma and Gender
Three of the most frequent causes of trauma are sexual abuse, rape and
domestic violence.
The majority of these crimes are committed against girls and women
although there have been studies that reveal that crimes against boys and
men are significant in number. Boys who are raped, or otherwise abused,
suffer trauma the same as their female counterparts.
In the last two decades there have been
several highly publicized incidents
involving attacks on gay and lesbian
students. What hasn’t received much
press coverage is the finding that gay and
lesbian youth comprise as much as one
quarter of all youth suicides.
Challenges:
Fostering Teacher Resiliency
Resilient students need resilient teachers.
Good content teaching requires modeling of
skills, and attitudes. If teachers themselves
are barely coping, if teachers cannot bounce
back from the challenges they face, how are
they to sustain the strength needed to
promote resiliency among their students?
(Wolpow and Askov, 2008)
Can’t teach what you don’t know . . . .
Childhood Resiliency
Childhood resiliency requires a shift in thinking from what is
“wrong” with “problem” children who are casualties of
negative/pathological factors,
to the study of what is “right” with children, what it is about
them and their support environment that enables them to
adapt, and in some cases thrive, despite the traumatic stressors
in their lives.
(Rutter, 1990; Masten, Best and Garmezy, 1990; Wolin & Wolin, 1993)
The Heart of Learning and Teaching:
Compassion, Resiliency, and
Academic Success
Contact
Ron Hertel, Program Supervisor
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction
Phone: 360-725-4968
Email: Ron.Hertel@k12.wa.us