Calmer Classrooms 2 The presentation and management of

Calmer Classrooms - 2 The presentation and management of trauma in the classroom Session 2: • To consider how the structure and expectations of the school day impact on a student who has experienced trauma • To understand explore school Behaviour as a language of communication Trauma is a sensitive topic – be respectful of the impact which the session might have on other people

Resilience and Attachment • Emotional resilience is not innate. • It is dependent on forming a secure attachment with parents • However, the desire and capacity to form a secure attachment is innate. I am safe & loved Calms child Secure Attachment Cycle Need met Express Un-met need Response from carer I am loved I trust that my needs will be met The world is a safe place

Trauma Neglect: The on-going failure to meet essential needs Theory Trauma: The overwhelming feeling of helplessness caused by - sustained experiences = CHRONIC Trauma Examples - exceptional events = ACUTE Trauma - Examples Sustained Failure to meet the ‘Need Cycle’ Induces an Attachment Trauma Effected by parents exposure to DV, poverty and mental illness I am not loved I cannot trust that my needs will be met The world is not a safe place Prolonged alarm reaction Releases ‘stress’ chemicals into the brain Negatively effects the developing brain Establishes emotional defence strategies Perpetuates impulsive responses to stress Still Face Experiment www. youtube. com/watch? v=apz. XGEb. Zht 0 Insecure Attachment Affect Dysregulation

The impact of trauma on a developing brain This is the brain scan of a Romanian Orphan, institutionalized at birth, who suffered severe emotional deprivation in infancy. The temporal lobes [circled] are highly inactive. These are the areas of the brain which regulate emotions and receive input from the senses Still Face Experiment www. youtube. com/watch? v=apz. XGEb. Zht 0

Affect Dysregulation in Adolescents Affect – behaviours or responses which might be observed or experienced Dysregulation – seemingly uncontrolled or destructive Dysregulated behaviours may also be rational defence strategies; responding to current or previous experiences 3 Types of Affect Dysregulation Anxious Attachment Hyper arousal Avoidant Attachment Dissociation Disorganised Attachment Mixed • Need constant reassurance • ‘Parentified’: fixated on home • Low Attendance • Hostile if they don’t get attention • Concerned that engaging in tasks will lose the teachers attention • Don’t need anyone • Perfectionists – cannot finish work • Cannot ask for help • Cannot accept ‘not knowing’ or that ‘others know’ • Difficult to like – reflects how they feel about themselves • Manipulative and controlling • On edge – high levels of stress and anxiety • No head space for learning • Aggressive responses to control or exposed weakness • Bullying others who they perceive as vulnerable • Extreme emotions- not capable of managing

Calmer Classrooms The presentation and management of trauma in the classroom Session 2: • To consider how the structure and expectations of the school day impact on a student who has experienced trauma • To understand explore school Behaviour as a language of communication Trauma is a sensitive topic – be respectful of the impact which the session might have on other people

A Skills for School Dysregulation Type & Presentation Anxious Attachment: Hyper Arousal • Need constant reassurance • Fixated on home • Low Attendance • Hostile if they don’t get attention • Won’t engage in case they lose teacher attention • On edge - No head space for learning • Extreme emotional reactions Avoidant Attachment: Dissociation • Don’t need anyone • Perfectionists • Can’t ask for help • Can’t accept ‘not knowing’ or that ‘others know’ • Difficult to like • Tests and Rejects friendships • Manipulative & controlling • Bullying others who they perceive as vulnerable B C How does the dysregulated behaviour impact on school life? Student that appears to fit this presentation D E Example behaviours/situations you have experienced What might the student have been communicating?

A: Skills for School What skills do students need to successfully complete a day in school? SOCIAL SKILLS – PRACTICAL SKILLS – COGNITIVE SKILLS Before School On Arrival In Lessons Social Time After School Task A: “Skills for School” • Record as many “School Skills” as you can think of in Column A on the Table. • Consider experiences across the whole school day

B: What skills would students with Dysregulated Behaviour find difficult? Dysregulated Behaviour Anxious Attachment Hyper arousal Avoidant Attachment Dissociation • Need constant reassurance • ‘Parentified’: fixated on home • Low Attendance • Hostile if they don’t get attention • Concerned that engaging in tasks will lose the teachers attention • Don’t need anyone • Perfectionists – cannot finish work • Cannot ask for help • Cannot accept ‘not knowing’ or that ‘others know’ • Difficult to like – reflects how they feel about themselves Task B: “Skills vs Dysregulated Behaviour” For the Skills identified in A; Consider how trauma and neglect might effect students’ ability to manage everyday school skills.

C & D: How does the “Skills vs Dysregulation” mismatch fit with your experiences? Task C&D: Tallis Students C: Which Tallis students can you identify with dysregulated behaviour? D: For one of these students discuss and record an example behaviour/situations you have experienced

Behaviour is a Language of Communication What about you? Think of an example when you have experienced behaviour as a form of communication • When I got on the tube. . . • In a meeting. . . • At the cinema…. Consider: • What was being communicated by the behaviour? • What did your behaviour communicate? • Was it different to the what was said?

E: What is the Student Communicating The experience of trauma A situation or skill that is compromised Dysregulated behaviour What could the student actually be trying to communicate? Task E: “Behaviour is a language of communication” For the example chosen in D Consider; - the context - the particular “School Skill” which was being compromised - the student’s particular type of dysregualtion

Calmer Classrooms The presentation and management of trauma in the classroom” Session 2: Conclusions • Childhood experience of trauma may be physiologically formative and psychologically embedded. • The structure and expectations of the school day require a skill set which may be compromised in children who have experienced trauma • The behaviours we experience may communicate more than the direct the language used. • Children who have experienced trauma are very sensitive to the behaviour of adults and what it means to them NEGLECT & TRAUMA DYSREGULATED BEHAVIOURS “Understanding the experience of the abused and neglected child assists us to develop compassion, patience and empathy. It is a key intervention in itself” Calmer Classrooms (2007 )