Childhood Trauma and Learning
Children who experience traumatic events are more likely than adults to develop symptoms of PTSD. Sadly, the occurrence of childhood trauma is far from rare.
Every year 3,000,000 children are involved in a child protective services (CPS) report in America and if a child is indirectly involved in the incident the number grows to 5,500,000. The rates are virtually pandemic.
While not all children who experience traumatic events, develop PTSD, many do. Often children develop symptoms of PTSD more then adults who experience the same event.
Effects of Trauma Are More Than Emotions, It Changes Learning and the Brain...
For the last 20 year most of the research and training about trauma has focused on the emotional and social disruptions for traumatized children.
However, children who are traumatized routinely have developmental disruptions in other key areas of their lives. These developmental disruptions can affect a child’s ability to achieve academic success.
Some of the developmental disruptions faced by children
with symptoms of trauma are:
Children who have faced an overwhelming life event also display more aggression, oppositional behavior and anxiety in social settings. Children with PTSD are often misdiagnosed as having ADHD or a disruptive behavioral disorder.
However, children who are traumatized routinely have developmental disruptions in other key areas of their lives. These developmental disruptions can affect a child’s ability to achieve academic success.
Some of the developmental disruptions faced by children
with symptoms of trauma are:
- Challenges with attention/concentration.
- Poor language development.
- Disruptions in memory.
- Poor motor development.
- Difficulty with visual processing.
- Problem solving.
- Social skills.
Children who have faced an overwhelming life event also display more aggression, oppositional behavior and anxiety in social settings. Children with PTSD are often misdiagnosed as having ADHD or a disruptive behavioral disorder.