Trauma and the Brain
Trauma impacts every area of development, and as this pyramid from the CDC shows, can even lead to early death. The effects of trauma in childhood are lifelong and potentially catastrophic.
The ACES study contains 10 questions that indicate trauma in childhood. The higher ACE scores mean additional trauma, and increased risks.
The Kaiser Study/ ACES study is fundamental when wanting to begin to understand trauma and the brain. The ACES questions focus on experiences before the age of 18. The questions ask whether as a child you experiences abuse (sexual, physical, or emotional), physical or emotional neglect, and household challenges like domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse, or parental incarceration. The higher the ACEs score, the more likely a person will have lasting effects from trauma.
If you have not taken the ACES quiz, you can do so here:
These questions can be triggering. Please make sure you are in a safe mental and physical space
Before we go any further, you need to know it is possible to heal the brain!
It is so easy to get bogged down on the horrible effects of trauma, and don't get me wrong, they are horrible! But there is HOPE! We can make a lasting change in the brains of our students and/or children. When I first started this work, I was feeling so discouraged. We seemed to be living in our own personal Ground Hog's Day movie, and not a funny one! But we can change the trajectory. One of the things that can bring us hope is the idea of Positive Childhood Experiences. These are the opposite of ACES.
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris does explains the long term devastating effects of trauma in children. We need to understand the huge, life long impact the trauma histories of the children in our care in order to begin to help them heal and to understand the importance of this work.
Dr. Daniel Siegel has a fantastic explanation of the brain, using a closed fist as a model. I use it with my own children to talk about how their brain works. We have to teach our children about the brains and their trauma responses. You have to name it to tame it!