The Impact of Trauma on Brain Development

Abstract

As many as four million children experience trauma every year, and some children experience multiple traumas over time. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of the scope and the impacts of trauma on young children. The types of experiences that may be traumatizing to children and the potential effects of these experiences were included. A synopsis of the neurodevelopmental process was also provided along with the impact of trauma at the various neurodevelopmental stages. A neurodevelopmentally appropriate treatment model was described, and the model included the three neurosequential phases of regulate, relate, and reason. In the final section, a review of the impacts of trauma on school performance was provided, and suggestions for advocacy with classroom teachers were included.

Mauri tui tuia: Dance movement therapist, music therapist, and early childhood teachers’ collaborative bi-cultural response to community trauma

“…When faced with unsafe and potentially traumatic events, they may become hyperaroused, or disassociate. Hyperarousal involves increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system, affecting the regulation of emotion, behaviour, and stress, with presentations of hyperactivity, anxiety and fear, impulsivity and aggression, and unusual responses to sensory stimuli; while disassociation involves disengaging from the external world, becoming withdrawn, inattentive, and depressed (Bray et al, 2017;Gray, 2017;Mutch & Latai, 2019;Terr, 2013). It is not surprising that somatic pain is also a common response (Capello, 2019), since these state-shifts have physiological roots (Gray, 2017).…”

Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Emerging Trauma-Informed Intervention

“…By deemphasizing verbal communication, these approaches allow for the inclusion of non-verbal approaches that support the therapeutic relationship and the establishment of safety and trust, which in turn can improve affect regulation and cognitive processing (Bray, Stone, & Gaskill, 2017).…”