How the impact of traumatic experiences affects student learning and why school districts should become trauma-informed.
The Key message we want school districts to know is that Adverse Childhood Effects/Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur in childhood. Aces include things like abuse, neglect, and/or household experiences. Statistics show that 64% of people have reported at least 1 ACE, which means children and adults all over have experienced an adverse experience affecting different aspects of their lives. Small actions have big impacts!
As a teacher who has personally experienced grief, I decided to research further how grief and trauma affect kids in school. Early on in my career, I noticed that, in schools, the labeling of children with a disability has become more widespread. I’m a special education teacher, and I work with kids who have moderate disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, and reading or math disabilities. Kids need the diagnosis to get support in school from a special education teacher and to be put on an Individualized Education Program (IEP). But is something else being overlooked in the classroom? Needless to say, it is very common now to meet with team members to discuss neuropsychological reports and conduct academic and cognitive testing – it’s just as common nowadays as simply eating breakfast. In my experience with other teachers and educational staff who work in schools, not all teachers have explicit training in trauma and grief. Often, when a child is identified as “defiant or challenging,” the immediate response is to have them tested for special education because they likely need to be put on an IEP, given medication, and pulled out of the classroom, away from their peers, for small groups. Ask yourself if this is the (hoped-for) Least Restrictive Environment for a child.
Children are unofficially diagnosed with a disability such as ADHD by adults in a school before the doctor has a chance even to take a breath. I’ve seen this pattern repeatedly, and it’s not always fair for the child to be judged early on without knowing what is happening. A child’s legal right is to learn in the classroom alongside their peers. The reality is that when a child is pulled out of the classroom for small groups every day, that child is realistically missing important curriculum content. Sometimes, this type of service is needed, depending on the severity of the disability. Decades of research prove that children with disabilities have higher academic success and social development when they learn alongside their peers in the classroom. Generally, a special education teacher is a widely trained educator who has been trained to teach just like the general education teacher. The difference is that the special education teacher has advanced knowledge of disabilities, how to write IEPs, and how to modify the curriculum so students with disabilities CAN remain in the classroom without feeling outcasted.
Children who have experienced grief and trauma have a higher chance of increased anxiety, which is a disability that absolutely affects a child’s progress in the classroom. Anxiety can be loud, or it can be silent. Usually, teachers will immediately notice the child who is being loud and defiant. It takes a trained eye to notice quiet anxiety and how it affects a child emotionally and socially in the classroom. Whether a child is loud, defiant, hyper, simply quiet, or has selective mutism. These are all behaviors that the child is communicating. All types of behavior are a form of communication. A trained person will know this and have the skills to unroot the deep-rooted concern. Again, it takes explicit training to identify and learn how to help these kiddos best succeed in the classroom without moving them to a restrictive environment.
Think about it this way: if all teachers were trauma-informed and had specialized training in how to speak to and teach kids who are defiant or who have challenging behaviors, the child is likely to engage more in the classroom; thus, said behaviors begin to simmer down and the child begins learning the core content being presented. That’s the ultimate win! The child does not always need a restrictive learning environment but would greatly benefit from a least restrictive environment. Kids who have experienced trauma or grief need to ultimately feel safe in their environment and have their learning needs met, all while following a well-structured daily routine. Parents and caregivers are the best advocates for their children, and I urge them to ask teachers, principals, etc., questions about this topic.
What are “some” ACEs that can cause trauma?
- Homelessness
- Violence
- Death of parent/sibling
- Witnessing violence
- Chronic illness
- Physical abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Emotional and physical neglect
- Substance abuse
- Mental illness
- Mother treated violently
- Criminal behavior in the household
What is trauma?
Trauma is not an event but a response to a stressful experience. When one’s ability to adapt is overwhelmed, it generates feelings of helplessness and terror. Traumatic experiences can trigger fight, flight, or freeze responses.
How does trauma affect academic performance?
Trauma affects academic performance through behaviors and relationships. Trauma impacts language – Written skills (reading, writing), ability to process oral and written information, sequential organization, memory, and understanding of relationships, and it affects the sense of self and perspective taking. Trauma impacts *executive functioning skills (the ability to strive for goals, organize a plan, execute the plan, and review), transitions, attention, and engagement in learning. Students’ sense of safety is a crucial driver of their behavior and can present in defiance, aggression, withdrawal, perfectionism, hyperactivity, reactivity, impulsiveness, and rapid and unexpected emotional shifts. The result is that students are not available to learn, which is often seen as a character flaw that causes students to become disconnected.
How to address this?
A student-centered whole-child model of success should be used, in addition to utilizing the power of community to support student success. There should be three levels of support: school-wide, classroom, and individual. Often, educators will never know all the children who have been affected by traumatic events, and this is a factual reality. Not all kids show their trauma or grief through externalized behaviors – which are more common and noticeable. Grief and trauma can also be seen through internalized behaviors, which is something that is often overlooked if not looked at through a trained lens.
How does a school become trauma-informed?
Attributes of a trauma-informed school include understanding and supporting the whole child, helping students feel safe and valued socially, emotionally, physically, and academically, and connecting them to the school community. All school educators and staff should encourage teamwork, embrace adaptability, and have specific training in trauma care. That is the starting point – all staff members must be explicitly taught through professional development and training. Trauma-informed schools have become vital to successfully addressing the broadening spectrum of adverse childhood experiences. This, in turn, provides a safe place where all students can feel comfortable enough to achieve academic success. Thus improving graduation rates and ensuring the future success of each child.
What does the manifestation of trauma look like?
Manifestation of trauma and behavior has been developed to ensure survival. Teachers of the student often interpret this as, “She’s not paying attention; she has ODD (oppositional defiant disorder; he has ADHD. This willful disobedience is a manifestation of trauma that becomes a spiraling cycle of disciplinary consequences and so on.
A trauma-sensitive school is a place where all educators understand this. This is not training that educators receive while getting their teaching license. There has been a lot of work on this subject, and teachers need to be educated in this specific area. We can’t assume they are fully equipped to provide a trauma-sensitive environment for children. In terms of educating teachers in this critical area, we need to develop trauma-sensitive schools. Administrators, teachers, and staff need to have strategies and techniques at their disposal. When educators learn to identify the signs of complex trauma and work with kids who perceive the world as a place that’s scary, harmful, or that has the potential to harm.
Traumatized children often display hypervigilance, showing up to school ill-equipped to learn and understand. Some students can be aggressive while others will withdraw, some will struggle to form attachments, and many kids do not have the language or coping skills to process any of this.
Teachers may often think, “he doesn’t care, or she just rolls her eyes. ” – In our society, students who are at high risk of living with complex trauma are often misunderstood by educators and everyone around them. Usually, teachers with the best intentions respond in harmful and counterproductive ways. The relationships needed to facilitate learning can be challenging to foster with students living with chronic stress. With the right tools and resources, teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, secretaries, recess monitors, school nurses, and cafeteria staff members can learn to respond to students’ trauma in a way that does not inadvertently trigger them and cause them to shut down, thus affecting learning.
In conclusion, the impact of trauma on student learning cannot be overstated. As educators, we must recognize that behaviors often labeled as defiance or learning disabilities may actually be manifestations of trauma. By becoming trauma-informed, schools can create environments where all students feel safe, valued, and achieve academic success. This shift requires comprehensive training for all staff members and a commitment to understanding the whole child. It’s time for school districts to prioritize trauma-sensitive approaches, moving beyond quick labels and restrictive interventions. By doing so, we can better support our students, improve academic outcomes, and ultimately break the cycle of trauma’s impact on education. Let’s work together to transform our schools into havens of healing and growth, where every child has the opportunity to thrive despite their past experiences.
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