PAR Winter 2021 School Catalog DigitalVersion Final - Flipbook - Page 9
on-topic
Understanding the effects of trauma on students
By Darla DeCarlo, LMHC, PsyS
S
So how can you tell if a student is dealing with the effects of trauma so you
can get them the help they need?
The National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) defines childhood trauma
as “the experience of an event by
a child that is emotionally painful
or distressful, which often results in
lasting mental and physical effects.”
No matter how a trauma begins, or
what route its progression takes,
its symptoms are far-reaching.
Understanding and recognizing trauma
symptoms can help educators accurately
interpret and understand the behaviors.
And it can also aid in avoiding the
misinterpretation of symptomatology with the result of understanding
how to address the problem.
chool psychologists have been
inundated with information
about trauma and building
trauma-informed schools. When
we think about trauma, we tend to
think about an event that happens
in two very different ways. One is
a systematic event that happens
over a long period of time (such as a
prolonged incestuous relationship).
The other is a devastating, one-time
event (such as 9/11).
Trauma affects students in different
ways because not every student
will react the same in a given
circumstance. Children may also
be reticent to express distress and
may even act out aggressively
as a way to hide their pain.
Phone 1.800.331.8378
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parinc.com
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First, think twice about the cause of
common symptoms you may see in
students. Why can’t you connect with a
student and form a bond? Do you see
poor self-regulation or executive function
problems? Maybe you have a student
who is hypervigilant or always negative.
These symptoms could have many
causes—and one of them could be trauma.
For instance, if what you see is a student
being oppositional, the instinct is often to
discipline that child. However, understanding why the child is oppositional—getting
to the root cause of the behavior—not
only helps you better understand the
child’s behavior but can also help you
identify problems that have solutions.
pariconnect.com
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table of contents
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solutions finder
Darla DeCarlo,
LMHC, PsyS
Regional Manager–
Educational Assessments
ddecarlo@parinc.com
Darla is a certified school psychologist who
spent more than 20 years providing professional
services in a variety of settings, including county
mental health facilities, hospitals, public schools,
and private practice. She is a member of the
Each year, nearly
700,000
children in the U.S.
are abused
Source: National Children’s Alliance
Florida Association of School Psychologists and
National Association of School Psychologists.
On-Topic
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