2. To understand how trauma and risk factors effect the
brain
To learn that the empowering, connecting, and
correcting model of trauma-informed care is useful
for all children in a ministry/classroom setting
To learn practical interventions along with
empowering, connecting, and correcting strategies
Objectives
11. TryThis!
Protein Snack – If the church can’t provide one, then
ask the parent to provide it. Send the child to a
“floating” adult to step out into the hallway if needed.
Hydration – Water lowers glutamate levels (glutamate
contributes to aggression and excitability) Water your
kids!
Arrange activities so they assist in your children being
physiologically prepared
13. TryThis!
Give a child with noise sensitivity earphones/earplugs.
Let a child choose the area of the room they want to
stand in.
If the child has difficulty regulating their bodies from
being excited to being calm, then give them
something heavy to carry like a stack of books or a
weighted backpack to the next activity or room.
Provide predictability or a heads up about transitions.
Give a 5 minute warning or allow the child who has
difficulty “announce” the next activity.
Help them calm their bodies in a playful way.
15. TryThis!
“Can you say that again with respect?”
If a child demands something, say “Are you asking or
telling? Can you say that again with respect?”
If a child becomes angry, throws a tantrum, or refuses
to participate, you may need to change the subject for
a few moments to help them calm down. But don’t let
them get away with the disrespect or disobedience.
Usually parents can choose from a wide variety of parenting styles to help a child feel love and trust, and mature in their reasoning and judgments.
The child may respond appropriately to any one or more of these parenting practices giving a parent a wide window of opportunity to build connection while disciplining. This helps the child grow to be an adult with healthy relationships.
But for parents with kids who have experienced trauma, the window narrows and many traditional parenting techniques do not work.
In fact, some of those time-tested, traditional techniques can make parenting the traumatized children very difficult and even more traumatizing.
Watch this short video about how the brain develops…
For most of us the executive part of our brain helps us “keep the lid” on the lower part of our brain.
Kids who have gone through trauma commonly experience a “lid flipping” response to situations that does not make much sense to us.
Dog encounter example…
As you can see any child can be at risk for trauma-related behaviors.
Discussion: What lifestyles do we lead that can cause children to have challenging behaviors even if they do not have one or more of these risk factors? (fast-paced causes a lack of nurture/connection, high divorce rate causing loss of predictability, trust, connection etc
While this material addresses specifically the challenges and needs of traumatized children, it emphasizes healthy connection and trust. Therefore the interventions are applicable to all – including adults
One of the common threads in all children who have experienced trauma is that when their brains needed another brain/person to help them understand the outside event or experience, there was no one OR they were in a situation in which a very caring person could not help them (NICU, medical trauma, etc). Our brains do not develop on their own. We are not born with all that we need, but, in fact, our brains REQUIRE connection and relationship with others in order to mature.
Connecting with the child – 80% of handling difficult behavior is connecting with the child BEFORE the correction is needed. If you don’t have a relationship, a trust, with the child then you won’t get very far with them.
Have you connected with the child BEFORE an issue arises?
Are you connecting with them in a playful way and using the appropriate DEGREE of correction to keep them on track?
Do they know you care and love them? Did they interpret your actions and words as love?
Doesn’t this make sense as Believers? Doesn’t the Lord love us BEFORE he corrects us? His correction comes out of love. We are wired to relate to others this way.
Many of our childcare programs wrap-up close to lunch or dinner. Therefore our children are often hungry or tired, and their behavior goes downhill. Children with trauma are extremely sensitive to physiological stressors and needs. Are the children you are working with hungry or tired? Is there something physiological you can do to help them get through that last 20 minutes before pick-up.
We can put on some pretty exciting programs for our kids. Music, dancing, lights on stage. Fun games and funny skits. And then with little warning, we ask them to listen, be still and respond sensitively and knowledgeably to Bible Stories. That environment challenges any child, let alone a child who relies on their lower brain to function (fight, flight or freeze)
Is the environment affecting the child? Are transitions between activities difficult?
3. A bit of control for a child goes a long way. Remember they are not IN control. You are sharing what you own
4. (Remember, brains do not develop alone. They need other mature brains to help them!) This activity may help the children process the transition from high energy to quiet calm. They may need to do it a couple times before they are ready to sit and listen.
Say Shake, Wiggle squirm like flopping fish! (let the kids do this)
Now, move like you are in jello. Slowly, slowly
Now, act like a rock. A rock that has eyes. Look around the room
like you are a rock with eyes.
Use this activity often and over time, you’ll see a big difference
in the amount of time a child takes to bring their bodies back to quiet calm.
It happens. Even at church. Sometimes, especially at church. A child looks at you point blank and says “no” to your request and adds an eye roll for emphasis. Or they hear a rule and look left and right and then do exactly what they were told not to do. Doesn’t that God given desire for justice burn in us sometimes when a child responds this way?? (But how often does God respond to us with justice v. grace?)
2. They may need some coaching to use good words, but that is ok! They will catch on if you consistently use this phrase.
3. Get on their level and talk to them. Encourage them to verbalize with good words the situation OR if that is too much, change the subject all together, and talk about something playful (summer vacation fun, sports, a silly story). Verbal communication comes from the executive function brain (the lid). You can possibly get the executive function part of the brain (reason, communication, etc) back online again through the use of language. And you’ll be building a connection with the child too which is ALWAYS helpful.
Once you are in a good place of communication, bring the task or activity back up. Perhaps use slightly different wording. For instance, if you originally said “you all are going to make cards for your moms today!” Try a slightly different angle with the child, saying “Can I work with you to make a card?” Or “do you want to sit with John or Bob while you do the activity.” I call this a side-swipe (instead of a head-on collision –“you WILL do the activity.”)
All of these interventions work just as well with kids who have not dealt with trauma. The reason is that at the core of all of these approaches is connecting while correcting. You don’t need different interventions for various groups of kids, so even if you never know the past of a child, these work well.
For child brain development, research tells us that brains mature through the connection with other mature brains. All children need consistent, mature adults to help them interpret information and then model an appropriate response. Traumatized children need a greater degree of this.
It is with compassion and grace that we provide this. It is of the same fabric that God “parents” us.
What challenges or behaviors are you currently facing and how can you connect and correct?
Based on what you learned about the way our brain functions, why would reward systems not work well with children from hard places? Why would consequences at times not work?
How could the interventions be misunderstood as being “soft” on children? (Too soft or connection would cause our children not to mature/grow. Too much correction would cause children not to trust. Must be a balance.)
It is with compassion and grace that we provide this. It is of the same fabric that God “parents” us.
----- Meeting Notes (1/7/15 15:12) -----
1. What challenges or behaviors are you currently facing and how can you connect and correct?
2. Based on what you learned about the way our brain functions, why would reward systems not work well with children from hard places? Why would consequences at times not work?
3. How could the interventions be misunderstood as being “soft” on children? (Too soft or connection would cause our children not to mature/grow. Too much correction would cause children not to trust. Must be a balance.)