Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children: A Case Study Approach Sylvia Kennedy-Godin December 13, 2018

Learning Objectives: a) Participants will identify 3 possible ways that developmental tasks may be impacted by exposure to an acute traumatic stressor and to complex trauma. B) Participants will identify 3 strategies to use to assist children who’ve experienced trauma in meeting developmental milestones. This training will provide an overview of what acute and complex trauma are, the effects of trauma on children, what factors support children’s recovery from trauma, what factors interfere with recovery from trauma, the effect of acute and complex trauma on children and how caregivers can assist children who’ve experienced trauma in meeting developmental milestones and healing. The primary resource for this training is the article, “Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children,” by Bassuk, Konnath and Volk (2006.) Participants will use the information from the article to brainstorm how to assist two children in their classroom who’ve experienced trauma, in meeting developmental milestones. The Core Knowledge Area is Child Development, Influences on Development, B. 4. 3) This training is for Burlington EEE and Headstart staff working with infant, toddler and pre-school age children.