School Intervention Guide
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
REDUCE STRESS
FACILITATE BODY REGULATION
Consider what you demand of
your students and try to reduce
classroom anxiety when possible.
Allow students to choose whether or
not they participate in discussions
and present, or read aloud, in front
of the class.
Incorporate trauma-sensitive
practices in the classroom to build a
sense of safety. Short meditation and
mindfulness activities at the beginning
of the day, or after large transitions,
can help students with PTSD to feel
safe and calm.
COMPREHENSION SKILLS
CURRICULUM
SMALL GROUP CURRICULUM
Students with PTSD can benefit
from working in a small group
with peers to build coping skills.
A small group environment can
foster a sense of safety and
belonging. Examples of effective
small group curriculum are:
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Responding in Peaceful and
Positive Ways
Coping Power
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Challenges with emotional regulation, attention, and working memory can
make it difficult for a student with PTSD to comprehend written materials.
These strategies help increase reading comprehension:
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Stop and Start: Check for comprehension every 30 seconds while reading.
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Directional Questions: Ask the student focused, leading questions before they
read the material to help them focus their attention on important information.
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memory.
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Second Step
Connect with Kids
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Story Mapping: Create a visual representation of the material to help with
remembering past details.
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Multiple Exposures: Have the student skim the material first with an emphasis on
the headings and titles to become aware of the main ideas.
Feifer, 2013
INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT
SCHOOL-WIDE CURRICULUM
While some trauma exposed
students will be diagnosed with
PTSD, there are other students who
have PTSD symptoms and are not
diagnosed. Schools should adopt
SEL curriculum that is trauma informed and teaches prosocial coping
skills to all students. Examples of
highly effective curriculum include:
Read to Self: Have they student read aloud to themselves to facilitate working
COUNSELING SUPPORT
504 PLAN
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(CBT) is recognized as the most
effective treatment for PTSD. There
are brief CBT interventions available for school counselors and
psychologists to use in schools. Two
examples of such interventions are:
PTSD is a health condition that can
be considered a disability under 504
if it substantially limits the student’s
major life activities which include
learning. Students with PTSD may
benefit from individualized classroom
accommodations and modifications.
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Cognitive Behavioral Intervention
for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)
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Support for Students Exposed to
Trauma (SSET)
504 coordinators should consider
comorbid diagnoses during the
evaluation process (ex. diagnosis of
anxiety or depression).
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PTSD can create a “chronic
destabilization of neuronal
networks in the hippocampus,
cerebral cortex, and enhanced fear
circuits in the amygdala.”
(Parritz & Troy, 2018, p146)
PTSD interferes with the healthy
functioning of three areas of the
brain that play a role in the way
humans interpret and respond to
their environment.
POST TRAUMATIC
STRESS DISORDER IS:
 A PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTION TO
LONG-TERM TRAUMA, OR TO A
TRAUMATIC EVENT (EX. MALTREATMENT, NATURAL DISASTERS,
WITNESSING OR EXPERIENCING
VIOLENCE).
 DIAGNOSED BY A CLINICIAN
THROUGH INTERVIEWS, ASSESSMENT IF THE SYMPTOMS MEET
DSM-5 CRITERIA.
Between 48%-69% of
children diagnosed with
PTSD are also diagnosed
with depression.
Barrera-Valencia et al.(2017)
75% have co-occurring
anxiety and/or depression
at clinical levels.
Kataoka et al.(2012)
FARLEY 2021 PSYCH 534 EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY