Understanding Childhood Trauma

Credit hours:

2.50

Course Summary

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being. These experiences range from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to parental divorce or the incarceration of a parent or guardian. Many foster children have experienced multiple traumatic events in their childhood. It’s imperative that foster parents and other child welfare stakeholders be informed about how trauma impacts the children and youth they care for.

In this course, you can expect to learn:

The connection between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and health outcomes
How responses to stress can impact child and adolescent development
Considerations for facilitating trauma-informed services
Perspectives from young people who have experienced trauma
How foster parents can provide trauma-informed support to children and youth

Step 1

Learn how childhood trauma unfolds across a lifetime from Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris in the video "How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across A Lifetime."

Step 2

Learn what trauma is, how young people respond to trauma, and how trauma-informed services benefit children and youth in foster care by reading the article "Trauma-Informed Practice with Young People in Foster Care."

Step 3

Review the JBS International article "Youth and Family Perspectives on Trauma-Informed Care" and learn how identifying trauma may help to overcome it.

Step 4

Review the Fostering Perspectives article "Trauma-Informed Parenting: What You Should Know" to learn valuable trauma informed parenting information.

Step 5

Learn the impact of untreated trauma on children and young people, understand some of the behaviors exhibited in reaction to trauma, and explore practical tips to help children and youth overcome trauma in the article "Parenting a Child Who Has Experienced Trauma."

Step 6

Join the discussion in the comments below to answer the following question:

How might a parent manage discipline differently for a child who has experienced trauma? You are encouraged to share real-life examples, but please don't use any names in your story.

Step 7

Finished the module? If you are logged in as a subscribed user, take the quiz to earn your Continuing Education Credit hours and certificate!

Course Discussion

2 years 8 months ago

Deetripp said:

You have to look beyond the behavior to comprehend what is going on and how to respond.

2 years 9 months ago

ktrickel said:

You have to give them more chances, and more opportunities to redeem themselves. You also can't raise your voice, use physical punishment, or let them trigger you. It's hard to not be triggered, especially when tensions are running high, or if they did something they should have never done.

Joe Nichols said:

It depends on the age of children but could be a time in with caregiver vs a time out

tiamnichols said:

My children are little but with our foster children needing to do a time in verses a time out would be better for us.

myrandacairns said:

Every situation is different. You just have to base it on each child. With some, you’re going to be able to take away privileges like electronics or games. But with others that can be traumatic because maybe those are the only things that comfort them and make them calm.

swashington12 said:

WHEN I HAD A FOSTER CHILD (TRAUMA )HER PROBLEMS WERE BECAUSE SHE WAS YOUNG 7 YRS OLD AND WANTED NOTHING BUT HER MOM, MANY NIGHTS OF HER CRYING ROCKING HER TO SLEEP, FAMILY VISITS WERE HARD, MAD WHEN SHE CAME BACK BUT KEEPING HER IN CAMPS, SWIMMING, OUTINGS, PLAY DATES, FRIENDS SHE MET WERE ALOUD TO VISIT, THIS HELPED HER A LOT. SHE BECAME CLOSE TO ME AND SAID I WAS HER BEST FRIEND, BUT TIME CAME TO A END FOR US BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T LIKE SCHOOL. WENT TO SCHOOL AND ACTED OUT NOTHING I DID WORKED SO I HAD TO HAVE HER REMOVED SHE ACTED UP SO BAD SCREAMING AND HOLLERING IN MY APARTMENT THAT A LOT OF PROFESSIONALS LIVE SO SHE AND THE NOISE HAD TO GO. BUT I DID LEARN TO LOVE HER AND SHE WITH ANOTHER FAMILY THAT HER SISTER IS WITH AND ITS MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE FOR HER. IT TAKES TIME AND PATIENTS FOR ALL CHILDREN.

2 years 11 months ago

Ratworld3 said:

Trauma children often have a more severe connection to property so punishment by taking items away can cause additional stress of losing something. A good strategy could be to place the item in site but out of reach so that the child knows it isn't gone but just a temporary state.

PaulaSchafer said:

I had a foster child who had experienced a great deal of trauma in her life. When she came to live with us, I disciplined her the same as my own children but I was also careful not to cause any triggers of her past trauma. I mostly used the loss of privileges such as, internet use, phone use, attending extracurricular activities.

3 years 5 days ago

briancampbell7066 said:

Discipline is very often tailored to the trauma the child has faced, not only to avoid triggers but also to hopefully healing in the child. That can be very difficult when you have multiple children of similar ages because they may think what you are doing is "unfair" when what you are doing may be the best fit for that particular child.

3 years 3 weeks ago

josehunter said:

Dealing with foster children, it is amazing to see the whole affect that trauma has on children in every respect of their life even the physical growth of that child. We (foster parents) are just one cog in an intricate wheel that a foster child needs. We must be consistent in helping in the child's growth in a positive manner.

first
previous
…
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
…
next
last