Winter 2021 School Catalog DigitalVersion Final - Flipbook - Page 7
The importance of assessing trauma
By Carrie Champ Morera, PsyD, NCSP, LP
M
illions of children have
experienced some type of trauma
including, but not limited to,
neglect, abuse, natural disasters, death
of a parent, and violence. These negative
experiences subsequently can alter
brain development, contribute to health
problems, and impair functioning in
multiple areas. We now know through the
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
study that the effects of stressful and
traumatic events can have immediate
and lifelong impacts.
Trauma manifests itself in various
ways. In the short term, behavioral
issues, academic issues, and emotional
dysregulation may be observed in the
school, community, and home settings.
Years later, substance abuse, cancer,
depression, and even heart disease
can be linked to childhood trauma.
Education, prevention efforts, and
strategies to develop resilience in
children are needed to break the cycles
of abuse, addiction, and disease. This
will lead to more positive outcomes
in children and provide them with
the opportunity to live emotionally stable and productive lives.
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Assessments are like puzzles, and addressing trauma is one of the many pieces
needed in a comprehensive evaluation. In
the school setting, one would not imagine
leaving out academic measures as part of a
psychoeducational evaluation. That is the
way we need to think about trauma in schooland community-based evaluations, too.
As a starting point, we need to address
whether the child experienced any
type of trauma and then determine
how often and to what extent. We need
to intervene if there are immediate
safety concerns. We need to uncover what
supports, coping skills, and resources
the child or adolescent utilizes.
Trauma does manifest itself in many ways,
and children and adolescents will respond
to traumatic experiences differently,
some in a more complex manner than
If an assessment of
their peers. However, if an assessment
of trauma is not considered during
evaluation, it could lead to misdiagnosis,
implementation of inappropriate interventions, and treatments that do not
address the root cause of the problem. If
an assessment of trauma is incorporated
in an ethical, safe, and caring manner,
we are minimizing the risk of harm and
increasing the chance for positive
outcomes in all children we evaluate.
Carrie Champ Morera, PsyD, NCSP, LP
trauma is not considered
Carrie is a licensed school psychologist and a project director in the
during evaluation, it could
PAR Research and Development department.
lead to misdiagnosis,
implementation of
inappropriate interventions,
and treatments that
do not address the root
cause of the problem.
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solutions finder
5 10
At least
of the top
leading causes of death are
associated with an adverse
childhood experience
Source: National Children’s Alliance
On-Topic
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