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Tbi PP

The document discusses the impact of trauma on students and learning. It notes that over 60% of children report experiencing or witnessing violence in the last year. This high prevalence of trauma exposure is reality for the students at Mont Pleasant Middle School. Trauma can impact brain development and function, leading to emotional and behavioral issues for middle school learners. The document recommends strategies for educators to help students build resilience, including understanding trauma's effects, using repetition to strengthen new pathways in the brain, practicing self-care to avoid secondary traumatic stress, and applying the four questions of observe, interpret, plan, and act when interacting with students.

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93 views18 pages

Tbi PP

The document discusses the impact of trauma on students and learning. It notes that over 60% of children report experiencing or witnessing violence in the last year. This high prevalence of trauma exposure is reality for the students at Mont Pleasant Middle School. Trauma can impact brain development and function, leading to emotional and behavioral issues for middle school learners. The document recommends strategies for educators to help students build resilience, including understanding trauma's effects, using repetition to strengthen new pathways in the brain, practicing self-care to avoid secondary traumatic stress, and applying the four questions of observe, interpret, plan, and act when interacting with students.

Uploaded by

api-285360954
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Trauma, the brain, and our reality

MONT PLEASANT MIDDLE SCHOOL


Why are we here today?

A large part of student body has experienced some


type of trauma (at home, community, school).

We know that a lot have you have been dealing


with the trauma in our school since before a lot of
these student were even born.

If we dont understand trauma, we cannot


understand its impact on learning and academic
growth.
Moochies story
More than 60% of children report being exposed to
violence in the last year.

Nearly 1 in 2 report being assaulted


1 in 10 report experiencing maltreatment
1 in 4 witnessed a violent act
1 in ten report 5+ direct victimizations

Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Ormrod, R., & Hamby, S. L. (2009). Violence, abuse, and crime
exposure in a national sample of children and youth. Pediatrics, 124(5), 1411-1423
This is our reality

Poverty
Race
Mental health issues
Family dynamics
Homelessness
Violence

This is why its harder for you.


Traumas Impact on the Brain
Cortisol in a healthy brain vs cortisol & inflammations in a PTSD brain

PTSD. PTSD & the Brain. Retrieved from: http://ptsdvietnam1.weebly.com/ptsd--the-brain.html


Impact on the Middle School Learner

High emotional responses.


Increased incidents of disruptive behavior.
Impulsive & possibly reckless behavior.
Possible self-destructive behavior.
Depression.
Change in relationships at home, school & socially.
Attendance issues.
Struggles with concentration & focus.
Poor grades.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. The Effects of Trauma on School & Learn Retrieved from: http://www.nctsn.org/resources/audiences/school-personnel/effects-of-trauma
What does that mean for us?

The students we work with are cycling through states


of hyperarousal and/or hypoarousal.

In the face of perceived danger, they exercise self-


protective behaviors.

They do not have effective, age-appropriate


strategies or protective resources so they resort to
desperate attempts to tolerate and manage stress.
More truths about our reality
Expectations of harm (from the word and from others)
Difficulty forming relationships *testing relationships
Difficulty managing, understanding, and regulating feelings
and behavior
Damaged sense of self/fragmented sense of self *shame
Developmental challenges (problem solving, agency,
imagination, academic performance, etc.)
Building better pathways

Plasticity The brains ability to adapt to


experience

Use-dependent development Specific


changes in the brain in response to repeated
input/patterns over time.
Use the power of repetition to build new safer pathways

Act
Evaluate
Plan
Options
Interpret Process

Input

Observe Interpret Act


What can we do?

How am I feeling?
What does this child feel, need, or want?
How is environment affecting the situation?
How do I best respond?

taken from TCIS; four questions


Four questions in action
Positive self talk
Active listening
Responding versus reacting

Think

Feel Do
React
Secondary traumatic stress (STS)
Certain circumstances can cause you to be more susceptible to
secondary traumatic stress.

Personal exposure to a traumatic event(s) or to individuals


who are coping with their own reactions to trauma

Direct contact with childrens traumatic stories

Helping others and neglecting yourself


STS can impact all areas of your life
A few warning signs:

feeling numb or detached; feeling overwhelmed or maybe even hopeless.


having low energy or feeling fatigued.
changing your routine or engaging in self-destructive coping mechanisms.
feeling low job morale.
experiencing confusion, diminished concentration, and difficulty with decision
making
experiencing trauma imagery, which is seeing events over and over again.
questioning the meaning of life or lacking self-satisfaction.
physically withdrawing or becoming emotionally unavailable to your co-workers
or your family.
Where do we go from here?

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