“If you’re wrong about what the student is upset about, he’s likely to correct you.”Īcknowledging and naming an emotion helps children move towards expressing it in a more appropriate way. “I can see that you are REALLY angry that Andrew took the marker you wanted!” she suggests. Rappaport stresses the importance of acknowledging the emotion and trying to identify it. Rather than jumping right into the behavior plan - deducting points or withdrawing privileges or suspending - Dr. When a student is acting up in class, she explains, teachers need to recognize the powerful feelings they are expressing, if inappropriately. Rappaport argues, schools need to work with them on changing their behavior. Schools have very little patience for kids who provoke and push away adults who try to help them. One of the challenges in giving that support is that when kids misbehave, our schools often use disciplinary systems that involve withdrawing attention and support, rather than addressing their problems. Howard explains, “need support to form that kind of relationship.” “Kids who’ve never developed that early template that you can trust people, that you are lovable and that people will take care of you,” Dr. They need help to let other adults into their lives. Many of these children haven’t been able to develop secure attachments to the adults in their lives, adds Jamie Howard, PhD, a clinical psychologist and head of the Trauma and Resilience Service at the Child Mind Institute. “They don’t have a model for an adult recognizing their needs and giving them what they need.” Rappaport, a school consultant and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “These kids don’t have the context to ask for help,” notes Dr. They’ve learned to be wary of adults, even those who appear to be reliable, since they’ve been ignored or betrayed by those they have depended on. Trouble forming relationships with teachersĬhildren who have been neglected or abused have problems forming relationships with teachers, a necessary first step in a successful classroom experience.In brief, the obstacles to learning experienced by these children include: And it can help avoid misdiagnosis, as these symptoms can mimic other problems, including ADHD and other behavior disorders. Identifying the symptoms of trauma in the children can help educators understand these confusing behaviors. As Nancy Rappaport, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who focuses on mental health issues in schools, puts it, “They are masters at making sure you do not see them bleed.” Trauma is particularly challenging for educators to address because kids often don’t express the distress they’re feeling in a way that’s easily recognizable - and they may mask their pain with behavior that’s aggressive or off-putting. And it’s clear that chronic trauma can cause serious problems with learning and behavior. But many children experience trauma through ongoing exposure, throughout their early development, to abuse, neglect, homelessness, domestic violence, or violence in their communities. We tend to think of trauma as the result of a frightening and upsetting event. That includes giving them lots of kindness and loving care “just because,” not just when they do something right. It can help when teachers give a lot of positive attention instead. They may also act out for attention, even negative attention. Kids with trauma can have trouble focusing and thinking things through. They need help to see that that they’re good kids who deserve to do well. They may be so afraid of making mistakes that they won’t try an activity at all. Traumatized kids often see things in the worst light. They’ll need help from a teacher to calm down before they learn to do it themselves. If a child never had an adult soothe them, they can get to school age unable to cope with big feelings. They’ll probably correct you.īabies learn to calm themselves when grown-ups soothe them. One way to help is by naming the feeling you see the child expressing. Instead, these kids need teachers to show that you understand how they’re feeling. Because it can seem like they’re acting out, schools are quick to punish them. They may be jumpy, always looking out for danger. When kids learn not to trust adults, they struggle to connect with teachers. Instead, it comes through in ways that look like misbehavior or even ADHD. Children who’ve gone through trauma are good at hiding pain. Trauma affects the way kids act in classrooms. For some, it’s not having a place to sleep. This could be violence at home or in their neighborhood. For many kids who suffer from trauma, it’s not one event.
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