ATYC SESSION RESOURCE PACKET Albert Villa, M.Ed. Program Manager for Behavior & Mental Health Education Service Center Region 19 @ESC19Behavior Information taken from the books: “Trauma-Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators” and “Fostering Resilient Learners: Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom” ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 From Sapling to Resilient Redwood: A Trauma-Sensitive Story Albert Villa, M.Ed. Program Manager for Behavior & Mental Health Education Service Center Region 19 @ESC19Behavior 1 2 1 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 TODAY’S AGENDA: 1. Understanding trauma and its impact on young children's learning and development. (30 min.) 2. Trauma-sensitive learning environments begin with US! (30 min.) 3 CREATING A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT 4 2 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 WHAT IS TRAUMA? WHY IS CREATING A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE CLASSROOM SO IMPORTANT? 5 WHAT IS TRAUMA? “Trauma is an exceptional experience in which powerful and dangerous events overwhelm a person’s capacity to cope.” 6 3 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 THE THREE E’s of TRAUMA Events Experiences Effects (SAMHSA) 7 THE THREE E’s of TRAUMA When a person is exposed to a stressful Event, how they Experience it will greatly influence the long-lasting Effects of that trauma. 8 4 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 WHAT MAKES SOMETHING TRAUMATIC? It’s NOT the nature of the event itself that makes something traumatic. It’s really the subjective experience of the individual that defines whether an event is traumatic or not. 9 THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS ABOUT TRAUMA 1. Trauma is real. 2. Trauma is prevalent. In fact, it is likely much more common than we care to admit. 3. Trauma is toxic to the brain and can affect development and learning in a multitude of ways. 4. In our school, we need to be prepared to support students who have experienced trauma, even if we don’t know exactly who they are. 5. Children are resilient, and within positive learning environments they can grow, learn, and succeed. 10 5 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 HOW TRAUMA AFFECTS THE BRAIN • Under extreme stress, our bodies are forced to respond via a heightened state of alert known as the fight, flight, or freeze response. • Our bodies were designed to be in that state only for brief periods, and only in the face of extreme danger. 11 STRESS and ANXIETY and their effects on children and their behavior. 12 6 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 All rights reserved. All contents and information on this PowerPoint are the creative and intellectual property of Education Service Center Region 19, unless otherwise indicated. Content is used for educational purposes only and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed or otherwise used in any manner without express written permission from Education Service Center Region 19. 13 All rights reserved. All contents and information on this PowerPoint are the creative and intellectual property of Education Service Center Region 19, unless otherwise indicated. Content is used for educational purposes only and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed or otherwise used in any manner without express written permission from Education Service Center Region 19. 14 7 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 All rights reserved. All contents and information on this PowerPoint are the creative and intellectual property of Education Service Center Region 19, unless otherwise indicated. Content is used for educational purposes only and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed or otherwise used in any manner without express written permission from Education Service Center Region 19. 15 WHAT DOES FIGHT, FLIGHT, OR FREEZE LOOK LIKE IN YOUNG CHILDREN? 16 8 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 STRESS HORMONES ACTIVATED PREFRONTAL CORTEX & HIPPOCAMPUS ARE BYPASSED POOR DECISION MAKING, INABILITY TO THINK WITH CLARITY, IMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS 17 Behaviors Teachers May See When Young Children's Fight, Flight, Freeze Survival Response Has Been Activated Fight Flight Freeze • Startles • Resists food and • Social withdrawn, tunes out • Irritability sleep • More acute and increased • Arching away from episodes of clinging caregiver • decrease in the capacity for Infants • Does not want to pleasure be touched or held • disruptions in vocalization • Separation distress • Limited interest in play • Arousal • Avoidance 18 9 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 Behaviors Teachers May See When Young Children's Fight, Flight, Freeze Survival Response Has Been Activated Fight Flight Freeze • Cries • Runs from caregiver • Restricted play • Screams • Hides under table or • Restricted social • Kicking out of sight of interactions • banging head caregiver • No response to name • Pulls jacket over head • Becomes absorbed with Toddlers • Sits in corner of room something and seems and just watches unaware of people • Falls asleep when things are noisy, chaotic, and stimulating 19 Behaviors Teachers May See When Young Children's Fight, Flight, Freeze Survival Response Has Been Activated Fight Flight Freeze • Cursing • Runs away from teachers • Withdraws • Biting • Runs out of the room or • Shut down • Kicking building • Daydreams, appears sleepy • Screaming and • Hides from others • Blank look on face yelling • Covers face, eyes, or ears • Child engages in repetitive movements • Talks back • Avoiding an activity or perseverating on something like • Destructive to • Redirects attention elsewhere picking at skin over and over, head Preschool property • Refuses to listen to adult banging, rocking • Throws objects directions • Reverting behaviors such as sucking • Tantrums thumb • Hits or hurts others • Falls asleep when not nap time • Not able to vocalize • Unresponsive to comments, requests, questions, or name being called 20 10 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 Behaviors Teachers May See When Young Children's Fight, Flight, Freeze Survival Response Has Been Activated Fight Flight Freeze • Yelling or screaming • Running away • Isolated • Cursing • Refuses to participate • Withdrawn • Making threats • Late for classes • Daydreaming • Arguing • Wears glasses, hoodie, or • Restricted movement Early • Destroying property hats to cover face • Apathy • Hurts others physically • Difficulty focusing Elementary • Anger outbursts • Memory problems • Irritable • Self-injurious behaviors • Difficulty staying calm • Sleepiness • Reactive emotionally • Aggressive 21 HOW TRAUMA AFFECTS THE BRAIN • Because a child’s brain is so sensitive, chronically elevated levels of stress hormones can significantly disrupt the development of the brain in a multitude of ways. • They affect learning, memory, mood, relationship skills, and parts of executive functioning…. ALL REQUIRED for success in school. 22 11 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 REGULATED DYSREGULATED 23 WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO ME AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR? • Early Childhood Teachers need to learn how to: o identify children's physiological reactions to stress o reduce traumatic triggers in their early learning environments o calm children and bring them back to a place of regulation o engage in their own self-care so they can sustain the hard work of caring for children and families impacted by trauma 24 12 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 How Can We Create Trauma-Sensitive Environments? 25 Trauma-Sensitive Learning Environments All trauma-informed practices begin with a caring, loving, and protective relationship with an adult caregiver. 26 13 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 Trauma Informed Teaching Strategies • That protective relationship must begin with self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-care on the part of the educator. • If teachers have strong self-awareness, the better able they will be to attune to the internal world of a child. • For young child, the internal emotional state of their caregiver impacts their behavior an emotional well-being. 27 Let’s Talk About RESILIENCY! 28 14 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 Resiliency Scale 29 The Magic Wand Lies Within! 30 15 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 • A teachers’ self-regulation supports children's self regulation. • Any increase in adult reactivity and dysregulation, will result in increased reactivity, dysregulation, and then challenging behaviors by the child. 31 • Because children mirror adults' internal emotional states, teachers should think of themselves as mirrors acting like they want the children to act, expressing the state of calm they want the children to display. 32 16 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 Child’s Behavior Child’s Teacher’s Teacher’s Child’s Response and (triggering for Feelings Feelings Unhealthy Reaction Thoughts teacher) Anger because their Hits teacher. toy was taken away by Annoyed, frustrated, another child. Yell at child, threaten to “Fight” stress response. Hitting and protective of child call parent. who was hit. Responded by hitting “My brain is scared, and I am not their peer. safe”. 33 Child’s Teacher’s Behavior Child’s Teacher’s Healthy Awareness and Child’s Response and Thoughts (triggering for Feelings Feelings Response teacher) Anger because Takes a deep breath to calm down. Ask self, “I “You care about what I feel. You are helping their toy was Annoyed, wonder what this child who hit another child is me understand my big emotions. You want to taken away by frustrated, feeling? What does he need from me right now help me get what I need. I feel safe. I can be another child. and to feel safe?” calm again because an adult will help me Hitting protective of figure this problem out.” Responded by child who Tells child, “You hit someone. You must really hitting their was hit. want something. Let me help you figure out My brain feels calmer because you are staying how to get it without hitting.” calm. peer. 34 17 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 WHEN IN DOUBT… CLOSE YOUR MOUTH AND TAKE A BREATH We need to truly breathe to regulate our bodies. By regulating our bodies, we stay in our upstairs brain. 35 BREATHING & SELF-CONTROL: USING OUR “PAUSE” BUTTON “Between stimulus and response there is space, and in that space lies our power and our freedom” - Viktor Frankl 36 18 ATYC CONFERENCE June 15, 2020 Mindful Breathing (in through the nose and out through the mouth) plays an important part in coordinating electrical brain signals in the brain regions that directly receive input from our nose.