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 4 months ago

MelissaMM said:

We need to find out as much information from the caseworker about what they know about the way the child was disciplined before and make sure the discipline we use won't cause a trigger.

sbass0824 said:

Patience no raising of voice and listen and talk!!!!

2 years 5 months ago

Monica Little said:

patience, patience, patience!!!!

2 years 6 months ago

MrsP said:

In our case, we have a toddler who cannot communicate things he may have seen or experienced. I think the key is a lot of patience, creating comfortable routines, and making sure to recognize good behaviors.

KMorse19 said:

You're going to have to think outside the box and not just take things away but rather really talk about things at first and come up with a comprised result for the action.

alikim77 said:

One example of a way a parent may manage discipline differently for a child who has experienced trauma is to celebrate small victories.

2 years 7 months ago

swilliams said:

new information to think on

jmhunter86 said:

I foster a child who experienced trauma during their child hood from neglect. This training helps me to understand their behaviors better and the long term affects it can have on them. It also provided great practical tips for helping them overcome the affects of child hood trauma.

Migdalia said:

By setting consistent limits and praising when there are good behaviors.

PJ0923 said:

this video was very informative

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