Defining Trauma
A deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
What is trauma?
The body may experience a brief increase in heart rate and a mild elevation of our stress hormones (e.g., cortisol, adrenaline).
What is postive stress?
This bodily system is activated when the brain perceives threat, involving the release of adrenaline by the SNS and a hormonal cascade from the HPA axis—CRH, ACTH, and cortisol.
What is the stress response system?
This ineffective response to behavior does not teach skills and may exacerbate or re-traumatize a child.
What is punishment?
Stored as images or sensations in the brain
Daily Double: Age in which this occurs
What are implicit memories?
Daily Double: What is prior to 18 months?
Action-focused response that uses specific strategies in daily interactions to support healing, build safety, and promote regulation, connection, and resilience.
What are trauma-responsive practices?
Identifying withdrawal, aggression, trouble focusing, and perfectionism
Daily double: identify the goal
What is recognition?
Goal: Train educators to observe carefully and understand that BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION, not defiance.
Everything related to human behavior and belief.
What is culture?
ACEs
Daily Double: List the 10 types of ACEs
What are adverse childhood experiences?
Daily double:
Abuse (Physical, Emotional, Sexual)
Neglect (Physical, Emotional)
Household Dysfunction (mental illness, incarcerated relative, mother treated violently, substance abuse, divorce)
Events such as the sudden loss of a loved one, a natural disaster (e.g., tornado), assault (i.e., physical or sexual), or animal attack may result in this.
What is acute trauma?
A stress hormone that is responsible for bringing the stress response to an end.
Areas of learning and language development impacted by trauma exposure in children (4).
What are (1) theory of mind (perspective taking), (2) development of language, (3) attention, and (4) memory (executive function)?
Three responses to a trauma trigger are
Daily Double: A fourth response is
What is fight, flight, and freeze?
Daily Double: What is fawn?
The use of external supports to manage feelings and actions. This is the foundation for developing self-regulation.
Daily Double: The age at which the brain is developed more fully for self-regulation is...
What is co-regulation?
Daily Double: What is 25 years old?
Behavior
What is communication?
European ancestry (especially Anglo/Western European), English (standard American English), Christianity (especially Protestant traditions).
What is Macro Culture?
How the nervous system interprets and reacts to a distressing event that may affect whether a child or individual is experiencing trauma is often called...
What is a subjective experience? (perception)
Experiencing extreme poverty or emotional neglect without the support of a caring adult may result in...
What is toxic stress?
This part of the brain is the first to develop in the womb, and its primary function is survival (e.g., triggering hunger and yawns).
What is the brainstem?
Areas of physical and socio-emotional development impacted by trauma exposure in childhood might include...
What are (1) sensory-motor development, (2) attachment, (3) empathy, (4) emotional regulation, (5) interpersonal relationships, and (6) play?
Rules, policies, and practices that, even if they look “neutral,” actually keep certain groups (often
White people) in positions of advantage while keeping others (often people of color) at a disadvantage.
What is institutional racism?
10:1
Understand that trauma can come in many forms.
(e.g., abuse, loss, racism, medical trauma). Knowing that it’s more common than we think, especially in
school-aged children.
Daily Double: Identify the goal
What is realization?
Goal: Helping educators or practitioners know realize that they WILL encounter trauma in their classrooms and therefore they MUST be prepared.
Unique traditions, languages, values, and practices that people belong to.
What is micro-culture?
Slavery, Institutionalization of individuals with disabilities, Native American boarding schools, and the Trail of Tears (forced removal from indigenous land) are examples of....
What is historical trauma?
Events or prolonged experiences that impact generations.
What is historical trauma?
Hippocampus, Thalamus, Hypothalamus, and Amygdala are all part of the...
Daily Double: Controls our survival responses and supports our ability to perceive danger and feel/see emotions in ourselves and others.
What is the Limbic System?
Daily Double: What is the Amygdala
Specialized brain cells that activate both when you perform an action and when you see someone else perform the same or a similar action. (Hint: If you cry, I am going to cry).
What are mirror neurons?
When different aspects of a person overlap (like race, class, gender, or disability) that creates a unique experience of discrimination or disadvantage, it is called...
Wht is intersectionality?
This is when you ask questions about your daily practice to become more responsive and attuned to each child.
What is inquiry?
Creating spaces that are emotionally and physically safe through institutional mission, professional development and training, leadership, and written protocols.
Daily Double: Identify the Goal
What is response?
Goal: Equipping educators with strategies that support all students, not just those visibly struggling.
A group (like a race, gender, or age) is present in a system or category (like special ed, prison, or leadership) at a rate significantly different—either much higher (overrepresented) or much lower (underrepresented)—than their share in the general population, signaling potential unfairness or inequity in access, identification, or outcomes.
What is disproportionate representation?
The age range considered for childhood trauma.
What is birth to 18?
Experiences that include ongoing sexual abuse, significant neglect, or ongoing domestic violence may lead to this...
What is complex trauma?
CEO
Daily Double: List functions
What is the prefrontal cortex or neocortex?
Daily Double: Logical decision-making, problem-solving, focal attention (sustained), rational thought, perspective taking, abstract thinking
When an adult focuses so intently on communication with a child, the child comes to believe that what they think and feel matters. They feel seen and heard.
Hint: You made a checklist.
What is attunement?
Harm that arises not only from individual experiences, but from the structures, policies, and practices of the educational system itself
What is systemic trauma?
Two strategies that you can use to support trauma-responsive practices. The acronyms are familiar things.
Daily Bonus: Identify the steps for each
What are STOP and CHILL?
Stop, take a breath, observe, proceed with intention
Calming yourself, hear yourself breathe, investigate your condition, let yourself know what you need, let others know what you need.
Daily Double: Identify the goal
What is resisting?
Goal: Resist re-traumitization
This cultural practice aims to encourage lifelong learning and self-reflection about other cultures, to challenge power imbalances, and to do the work needed to engage respectfully with diverse cultures.
What is cultural humility?