The dilemma
You are caring humans who have a passion for
teaching the young adults who come to your schools.
You are charged with teaching the children who come
to you.
Yet, you are not therapists, you are educators.
The following information may give you some insight
about some of your toughest kids.
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Outward appearance shows no definite
characteristics
Internal wounds are identified by behaviors,
not physically
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Loss of pleasure in learning
Belief that they are not smart
Painful, burning memories of shaming
experiences
Chronic, habitual anger toward teachers and
those in authority
Low appetite for risk-taking academically
Over-attachment for the “right” answers
What can you do?
 Begin to bring pleasure back into learning
 Help students regain the belief they can learn
 Understand the deep wounds of shame
 Understand hostility and anger is at the
system, not at you
 Take small steps when involving risk
 Less emphasis on “correctness” more on
“learning”
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It’s best to understand that we CAN’T understand
where many students are coming from
Do not judge wounded children
Wounded children have low self-esteem and poor
relationships
Deliver meaningful discipline, not punishment
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Wounds need to be brought to the surface-this
takes time-and is not our job
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Let go of ego and control
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Restore hope
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Language and Communication Skills
 failing to understand directions
 overreacting to comments from teachers and peers
 misreading context
 failing to connect cause and effect, and other forms of
miscommunication
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Language and Communication Skills
◦ Organizing Narrative Material
 Student may have been “raised in households in which
rules and routines are subject to the whim of the
parent”
 They respond well to classrooms in which there are
orderly transitions and clear rules and that offer them
assistance with organizing their tasks.
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Language and Communication Skills
◦ Cause and Effect Relationships
 these children have difficulty internalizing a sense that
they can influence what happens to them.
 can be left wary of the future, which feels to them both
unpredictable and out of their control. This may cause
some children to become extremely passive.
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Language and Communication Skills
◦ Cause-and-Effect Relationships
 Break down events into very clear cause and effect
logical sequences. Make no assumptions that students
always understand what will come next.
 Create opportunities for students to make choices, to
predict aloud the possibilities of future events and
why.
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Attentiveness to Classroom Tasks
◦ anxiety and fears for their own and others’ safety
chronically occupy their thoughts.
◦ focused on “interpreting the teacher’s mood.”
◦ disassociates from the immediate environment
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Regulating Emotions
◦ “The lack of capacity for emotional self-regulation
so critical to school functioning is probably the
most striking feature of these chronically
traumatized children.”
Hyper-vigilance…
◦ cannot shift away from distressing cues in the
service of maintaining emotional regulation.
◦ Reassure a student about the distraction, prepare
for it, explain the consequences of it
◦ Regulating Emotions
 ability to identify and express feelings is often
underdeveloped and poorly regulated.
 express emotions without restraint and seem
impulsive, under-controlled, unable to reflect, edgy,
oversensitive, or aggressive.
 overreact to perceived provocation in the classroom
and on the playground.
◦ Regulating Emotions
 Practice using words that describe emotions-new
words: depressed, anxiety, peeved, irate, concernedand give student opportunities to describe their own
feelings.
 Provide opportunities for students to begin to predict
how they are going to feel and find alternative ways to
deal with those feelings.
◦ Regulating Emotions
 may appear disinterested, disconnected, or aloof.
 disassociating—completely disconnecting emotions
from the events with which they are associated.
◦ Regulating Emotions/Misdiagnosis
 Many traumatized children who exhibit the symptoms
of anxiety, hyper-vigilance to danger, and languageprocessing problems are diagnosed as having
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
 Research shows that ADHD and trauma often coexist,
but because both disorders have similar symptoms,
trauma may be overlooked when a diagnosis of ADHD
is made.
Regulating Emotions
 If a child is suffering from both ADHD and trauma,
appropriate treatment can be provided that responds
to both sets of problems.
 Thus, it is important to assess whether a single
diagnosis is masking the need to evaluate for trauma.
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Executive Functions
◦ executive functions are very important for achieving
academic and social success and for establishing
vocational goals.
◦ a bleak perspective, expectations of failure, a low sense
of self- worth, and a foreshortened view of the future, all
disrupt this ability to plan, anticipate, and hope.
◦ no “internal maps to guide them” and that,
consequently, they “act instead of plan.”
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Executive Functions
◦ boys with severe abuse histories had particular
difficulty with executive-function tasks that
required them to refrain from taking actions that
would lead to adverse consequences
◦ Children with severe executive-function deficits
may benefit from small, structured classrooms
where they can be carefully taught to understand
the consequences of their actions.
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Reactivity and Impulsivity
◦ It is helpful for teachers to know what triggers
might cause a traumatized child to become hyperaroused or to re-experience a traumatic event in
the classroom.
◦ Behaviorists may be able, through careful
observation, to identify some of the child’s triggers.
Often, however, the help of a mental health expert
is needed to be sure of what may be triggering a
particular child.
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Aggression
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Defiance
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Withdrawal
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Perfectionism
Relationships with School Personnel
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Traumatized children often vie for power with classroom
teachers, since they know that they are safe only when
they control the environment.
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Relationships with School Personnel
◦ Intense dislike of surprises or spontaneous events,
which are perceived as dangerous or out of their
control.
◦ particular difficulty with transitions during the
school day.
Positive role models and ways of dealing with
peers can play a major role in the healing
process and lead to strong academic, social,
and behavioral outcomes.
Researchers point out that it is important for
traumatized children to form meaningful
relationships with caring adults.
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In cases where trauma is known, an
understanding of its effects on learning and
behavior will help educators plan the most
effective responses.
Helping Traumatized Children Learn
Massachusetts Advocates for Children: Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative
In collaboration with The Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center of Harvard Law
School and The Task Force on Children Affected by Domestic Violence
http://www.massadvocates.org/helping_traumatized_children_learn
Wounded by School-Recapturing the Joy in Learning and Standing Up to Old
School Culture
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Kirsten Olson
Reaching the Wounded Student
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Joe Hendershott