Trauma-Informed Care: The Professional Development Needs of Early Childhood Special Education Teachers

Abstract

It has been well documented that experiencing trauma impacts all aspects of child development. Young children experience trauma at high rates, and children with disabilities are at an increased risk of experiencing trauma. One way to mitigate the effects of trauma is through the implementation of trauma-informed care, which requires a well-trained workforce. Yet, to date, minimal research has been conducted about the professional development needs of early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers related to trauma. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand ECSE teachers’ professional development needs related to trauma and trauma-informed care. Eighteen ECSE teachers participated in interviews. Results indicate that while ECSE teachers are familiar with the basics of trauma-informed care, more training is needed, specifically in the areas of working with families, implementing trauma-informed classroom strategies, and supporting children with disabilities who have experienced trauma.

Start Early: Providing Trauma-Informed, Systems-Focused Professional Development in Early Childhood Development and Learning Contexts

“…This is important because systemic trauma can impact not only children and families, but also EC educators and staff [13,20,27,28]. Even prior to the pandemic, EC professionals were at risk for secondary trauma and/or reexperiencing early traumas that can surface when caring for young children [26,29]. Such experiences can be more likely if EC professionals come from the communities they serve, particularly if those communities are historically marginalized and underserved [18,30].…”

“…Yet, limited efforts have embraced systems-focused approaches or evaluated the acceptability of such approaches in trauma-informed training activities in EC settings [18,22,26,28,34]. Instead, across K12 and EC settings, training opportunities often focus on specific practices or programs for educators to implement in the classroom, rather than taking a broader perspective on how to change systems to support educators, administrators, and other staff [14,18,20,26,29,35,36]. Research has shown that teachers are more likely to endorse trauma-informed approaches when they receive support from school administrators [16,20,22,36].…”