Core Concepts of Childhood Traumatic Stress in a Classroom Setting

This workshop provides an overview of the theoretical foundations and core concepts related to childhood traumatic stress and its impact on learning and the school environment. Participants learn to distinguish between normal childhood adverse experiences and childhood traumatic stress, and learn about the impact of various types of traumatic stressors on a child’s daily functioning. Simple and complex trauma experiences are discussed, including the impact of trauma upon the developing brain. Attachment, attachment disruption and the most common behavioral, emotional and cognitive sequelae are examined from a developmental and neurobehavioral perspective. Finally, key issues critical to effective classroom approaches and available tools are highlighted.