Presented by Melissa Santodenato, California Child Care Resource and Referral Network

1. Trauma Informed
Consideration and Strategies
for Adults Working with
Young Children:
Creating Strength-Based
Environments to Support
Children’s Health and Healing

2. • Defining trauma
• Impact of trauma
• Strategies to support
children
• Relationships
• Environment
• Sensory, body awareness
and strengthening
emotional literacy
• Managing strong emotions
PLAN FOR
TODAY

3. Defining Trauma
Individual trauma results from an event,
series of events, or set of circumstances
that is experienced by an individual as
physically or emotionally harmful or life
threatening and that has lasting adverse
effects on the individual’s functioning and
mental, physical, social, emotional, or
spiritual well-being.
(SAMHSA, 2014)

4. Trauma is defined by its effect
on a particular individual’s
nervous system, not on the
intensity of the circumstance
itself. A complete loss of control
and a sense of utter
powerlessness.
Regaining control is an
important aspect of coping with
traumatic stress and helping the
child return to a situation that is
predictable and safe is
essential.

5. Toxic Stress Video

6. Impact of Trauma
Activation of survival responses:
• Fight
• Flight
• Freeze
• Faint
Shutting down and limited skills to respond in a
healthy way to daily functioning and relationships
Rational thought is less possible at this time
Increased reactivity and decreased responsiveness
(Hopper, 2009)

7. EXECUTIVE BRAIN
Abstract Thought
Logic
Reasoning
Impulse Control
MAMMAL BRAIN
Attachment
Contextual Memory
Learning
Affect Regulation
Emotional Reactivity
Appetite/Satiety
REPTILE BRAIN
Motor Regulation
Heart Rate
Breathing
Blood Pressure
Body Temperature
FOREBRAIN
Cortex
“Executive Center”
Limbic
BRAIN
“Emotional Center”
HINDBRAIN
Cerebellum &
Brainstem
“Alarm Center”
Hierarchy of Brain
Development

8. One Million New Neural
Connections are Being Built
Every Second in a Child
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/five-numbers-to-remember-
about-early-childhood-development/
What does this
mean our job is
with children?

9. Some Common
Characteristics/Behaviors for Infants
and Toddlers Exposed to Trauma
• Difficult to soothe, inconsolable crying
• Resistant to touch
• Difficulty sleeping, night terrors
• Feeding challenges
• Listless and subdued emotional state,
unresponsive to stimulation
• Low frustration tolerance, agitated,
restlessness
• Lack of play

10. Some Common
Characteristics/Behaviors for Toddlers
Exposed to Trauma
Additionally, toddlers may have…
• Delays in language development
• Behavior that alternates from one extreme to
another
• Frequent and intense tantrums
• Withdrawal
• Play that appears disorganized and erratic
• Difficulty with separation

11. Common Characteristics/Behaviors
for Preschoolers Exposed to Trauma
• Parentified (Takes on adult role)
• Indiscriminate attachment (not secure attachment)
• Controlling in interactions with others
• Upset by moments of emotional closeness and quiet
• Hoarding or collecting food, toys or other materials
• Difficulty with transitions or changes to routines
• Impaired short-term memory
• Hypervigilence: extreme sensitivity to noise, movement or
changes in environment
• Misattribution with facial expressions and body language
• Difficulty playing (especially imaginary or symbolic play)
and/or persistently engaged in traumatic play

12. Many Children Who Cannot
Play are Children Who Have
Had to Attend to Their Own
Survival Needs
• They feel that they can’t take their attention away
from the here-and –now
• Internal working models of the world where their
very survival depends upon maintaining a vigilant
state
• Trauma enters into children’s play in several ways.
Many children are quite restricted in their range of
play activities
Lesley Koplow (Ed.). Unsmiling Faces: How Preschools can Heal (2nd Ed)

13. Why Some Children Have Trauma
Symptoms and Some Do Not
• Timing/Developmental level
• Physical characteristics and constitution
• Intensity
• Degree to which stress was prolonged
• Degree of control
• Predictability
• Quality of care received in response to trauma
• Social supports and outlets for stress

14. Common Behaviors of
Children in FIGHT Mode
Child yells or screams Child is argumentative
Child curses Child throws self on the
floor
Child kicks, spits, bites, or
head-butts other children
and adults
Child destroys property
Child makes violent threats Child uses objects to jab or
hit other objects in the room
(Sorrels, 2015)

15. Common Behaviors of Children in
FLIGHT Mode
Child covers face with hands,
buries face in arms, pulls jacket
over head, pulls hat down over
face, wears sunglasses
Child hides someplace in the
room out of sight of caregiver or
teacher
Child runs out of building or
room
Child hides under blanket
Child sits in the corner of the
room and just watches
Child sits under table
Child appears to be daydreaming Child falls asleep when things are
chaotic, noisy, or overstimulating
Child becomes absorbed with
things and seems unaware to
people (Sorrels, 2015)

16. Common Behaviors of Children in
FREEZE Mode
Child appears lethargic and
spaced out, not paying attention
Child engages in repetitive
movements or perseverating on
something like picking at skin
over and over
Child is unresponsive to name
being called
Child is socially withdrawn
Child is unresponsive to
commands, requests or
questions
Child is not able to vocalize
Child appears to daydream a lot
(Sorrels, 2015)

17. All brains can be rewired
and heal through a
concept called
NEUROPLASTICITY

18. Neuroplasticity

19. GOOD NEWS!
• The brain is plastic throughout our life
(neuroplacticity)
• The mental structures in our brain are open
to change throughout the lifespan because
of neuroplasticity
• Healing can be induced through consistent,
attuned communication within the context of
our most important relationships

20. Strategies
•Relationships
•Environment
•Building sensory and body
awareness and strengthening
emotional literacy
•Managing strong emotions

21. “For a child or an adult, it’s extremely
powerful to hear someone say, ‘I get
you. I understand. I see why you feel
this way.’ This kind of empathy disarms
us. It relaxes our rigidity. It soothes our
chaos”
(Siegel & Bryson, 2012)
ATTUNEMENT
AND
CONNECTION

22. First: Connect to the Child – Second:
Guide Toward Solution
Connect First:
• Validating emotions
• Reassuring: tone of voice, listening
• Non verbal: touch, facial expressions
(humming, rocking)
• Attunement: feeling felt
Redirect Second:
• Explain
• Plan
• Negotiate
• Reason
Adapted from Dr. Daniel Siegel, “Whole Brain Child”

23. Name It to Tame It
• Help children tell their stories to calm big emotions:
• Research shows that merely assigning a name or
label to what we feel calms down the activity of the
emotional circuitry in the right hemisphere
• Don’t be afraid to repeat the story: if we try to move
on too fast, the memory of the pain gets stored
without the associated memory of how the child
recovered
Dr. Daniel Siegel, “Whole Brain Child”

24. Engage, Don’t Enrage
Vertical Integration:
• Connect then redirect,
name it to tame it
• Connect, communicate,
compromise
• Time for reinforcement of
rules and expectations
Dr. Daniel Siegel, “Whole Brain Child”

25. Designing Supportive
Environments
• Physical
environment
• Schedules &
predictable
routines
• Transitions

26. “Maybe you remember a time when going to sleep was scary for
you. Now you are here with Ms. Marcy and I am taking care of you.
You are safe at preschool. I will stay with you until you fall asleep.
When you wake up, I will be here and your friends will be here.
After nap, we will have snack together. You are safe. My job is to
keep you safe at preschool.”
“When you were a baby, the sirens came when your uncle was
shot and that was sad and scary. Right now you are here with me
at preschool. I am taking care of you and nothing bad is going to
happen. You are safe. Those sirens are not coming here. They are
going to help someone else. You are safe. I am taking care of you.”
Helping a Child with a Trauma
Trigger in the Moment

27. Where is it safe?
Some children look
for spaces from
which to observe
or be
by themselves

28. Calming
Areas/Bins or
“Safety Zone”
• Consider including sensory
material for the child to touch
• A time to pause, CALMING and
get away
• Space is enjoyable, comforting,
soft
• Include objects that make child
feel safe and secure
• Have sensory and/or feeling
words

29. Safe Space
*Key Tips*
1. Make sure the adult can track the child for
supervision issues
2. Most important is the child can track the adult so
that they feel seen, attended to and can co-
regulate with the adult attachment figure to feel
safe
3. The goal is the child feels safe and secure when
using this space, not abandoned

30. Trauma Triggers that Affect Arousal States
A new child or adult Quick movements Disorganized materials
A stranger entering the space Unexpected touch Unpredictable schedule
Noise level Harsh touch The absence of caregiver
A smell Another child crying A particular texture
An unexpected noise Someone taking something
away
Taking the child’s shoes off
while they are lying down
Change in lighting
Change in schedule
New room arrangement
New piece of equipment
Someone approaching while
the child is lying on a cot
Too many transitions Nap time Tickling a child
Harsh words or tone of voice Someone approaching the
child too quickly
Angry or fearful facial
expression
An adult towering over a
child (Sorrels, 2015)

31. 31
Knowing what is coming next
helps me feel safe & in control!

32. Predictable Schedules and
Routines
• Decreases anxiety
• Help children feel safe
• Support a sense of control
over their environment
• Supports knowing when
reunion with caregiver will
be

33. FIRST - THEN

34. Predictable
Transitions
• Minimize the number of transitions
• Minimize waiting Provide a verbal and/or
audio signal
• Need something to do while waiting
• Individualize supports and cues
• Create rituals for each transition so it
becomes a familiar and predictable routine
and habit.

35. Transition Signals - Visual Or
Auditory with Advance
Notice

36. Environment Cues

37. Minimize Number of
Children at Centers
37

38. Strategies for Calming Young
Children Stress Response Systems
Visual
Dimming the lights
Reducing clutter on walls
Providing small enclosures
where toddlers can hide
Visual schedules
Visual cues
Transition cues
Visuals that teach
Nature for calming
Timers
Auditory
Eliminate low frequency sounds
Humming or singing
Increase vocals/female voices
to support relaxation
Playing instrumental music
Playing white noise
Playing nature sounds
Tactile
Patting or rubbing the back
Providing textured blankets
Snuggling
Water or sensory table
Play dough
Art projects
Sand
Vestibular
Rocking
Swinging
Bouncing
Swaying
Riding in a Stroller
Taking a walk with adult
Proprioceptive
Jumping
Climbing
Yoga
Pushing heavy toys
Trampoline
Stress balls
Squeeze objects
Natural and Outdoor
Elements
Loose parts
Wonder and creativity
Nature (leaves, trees)
Animals
Water, sand
Nature photos or sounds

39. Building
Sensory and
Body
Awareness
and
Strengthenin
g Emotional
Literacy

40. Sensory and Emotional
Literacy
Sensory and Emotional Literacy: the ability to
identify, understand, and express sensations
and/or feelings in the body and to express
them in a healthy way

41. Trigger=Sensation=Thought=Emotion
Trigger Sensation Thought Emotion
Stranger
Enters Class
Butterflies in
Stomach
They Might
Hurt Me?
Fear
Nap Time Body Feels
Like Ice
Cubes/
Frozen
I am not safe
Adults may
hurt me if I
sleep
Scared
Terror
Frightened
= Behavior with FIGHT. FLIGHT,
FREEZE

42. Difference Between Sensations and
Feelings
The body has to release a charge of energy after a trigger event
Sensations
• Physiological happenings in the
body
• An energy charge in the body
from a trigger
• The way your body “feels” (e.g.
butterflies in stomach, head
hurts, fire in throat, sweaty
palms, pit in stomach)
• Body communicating intensity
of experience
Feelings
• Words describe how you feel
• Small, medium or large
feelings or scale of 1-10
• Triggered by an experience
• Mad, Sad, Angry, Frustrated,
Scared

43. Why Promote
Sensory Awareness?
• Helps children find ways to
communicate without words
how they feel and what they
are experiencing
• Trauma histories store
memories in sensations, not
words
• When triggered, a child
cannot access words so
communicating in other ways
is the first point of entry for
regulation

44. wrds canot decrbe how I efel
• Sometimes you have to start with
teaching sensations in the body before
naming feelings
• A trauma trigger means children may
not be able to use words to express
themselves
• Children need other nonverbal ways to
communicate how they feel

45. Building a Language of Sensation
• Sensations are different than emotions. They describe the physical way the body feels.
Icy/Cool/Warm/Hot Butterflies/Bumble Bees
Volcano (dormant, sizzle,
exploding)
Relaxed/Calm/Peaceful
Itchy/Sharp/Dull Kitten/Doggy/Dinosaur
Shaky/Tingly Calm/Jumpy/Jiggly
Hurts (small/medium/big) Strong/Tight/Tense
Ouchie/Owie Empty/Full
Soft/Bumpy/Hard Light/Medium/Heavy
Rocks (small, medium, large) Cool/Cold/Warm/Hot
Peter Levine and Maggie Kline, Trauma through a Child’s Eyes

46. More Sensation Vocabulary
Sensation Sensation Sensation
Cold/Chilly Warm Hot
Twitchy Butterflies Bumble Bees
Sharp Dull Itchy
Shaky Trembley Tingly
Hard Soft Clouds/Fluffy/Airy
Jittery Icy Weak
Relaxed Calm Peaceful
Empty Full Just Right
Dizzy Blurry Fuzzy
Strong Tight Tense
Owie Teary Goose Bumps
Light Heavy Open
Tickly Silky Scratchy
Still Clammy Loose
Rocks Cotton Play Dough
Dr. Siegel, Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes

47. Encourage Sensory
Recognition
• Tune children in to
their body sensations.
• Mention: “it looks like
your body may be
tired” or “when that
happened to you did
you feel like a rock in
your belly or a bumble
bee in your chest?”

48. Proactively Teach Sensory
Awareness
Here are some examples you could use with
children as you help them describe where in their
body they feel something and how small or large
it might be:
• Hard, Soft, Stuck (rocks, cotton, nails, needles, pebbles,
nails)
• Butterflies in my stomach
• Bees in my heart
• Rocks in my head – small, medium or large
• Volcano in my body – dormant, simmer, exploding

49. Practice with the Children Using
Sensing Vocabulary
PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT

51. Managing Strong
Emotions

52. Breathing
“When we inhale we stimulate the SNS
which makes the heart increase. Exhaling
stimulate the PNS, which decrease how fast
the heart beats. In healthy and calm
individuals, the inhale and exhale are
steady and a good heart rate measures
well-being.”
- Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., The Body Keeps the Score

53. • Breathing is your body’s remote control.
• Take three deep and slow breaths. Work from
the belly, and move the breath all the way into
your lungs. How do you feel?
• With this movement, the most important piece
incorporating the breath. It is all about the
breath.
• After every pose or movement, we tell the
children – “breathe in, and breathe out.”
Just Breathe!

54. Teaching the Breath
• Feathers are a great visual for children
• Give each child a feather and have them blow it down
• They can try long exhales and short exhales
• Stuffed animals or breathing buddy
• Have them lie down on their backs with an object such as a
stuffed animal on their chest
• Have them make it go up and down as they breathe
• Pretend balloon breaths – “Breathe in, and breathe out”
• Start each session with 3 balloon breaths or belly breaths
• Use a real balloon and show them how balloons expand and
contract
• Smell the flower and blow out the candle
• Pantomime the actions for breathing in, then out

55. Resources on Trauma
• http://www.nctsn.org/ (search for early childhood resources)
• http://www.centerforyouthwellness.org/adverse-childhood-experiences-aces/
• https://acestoohigh.com
• http://www.ahaparenting.com
• https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/five-numbers-to-remember-
about-early-childhood-development/
• The Theraplay Institute @ www.theraplay.org Sunshine Circles: groups that
build safety, connection and empathy in the classroom

56. Resources Continued
Books
• Nicholson, J., Perez, L., & Kurtz, J. Trauma-Informed Practices for Early
Childhood Educators: Relationship-Based Approaches that Support Healing
and Build Resilience in Young Children. Routledge.
• Barbara Sorrels: Reaching and teaching children exposed to trauma
• Gabi Garcia: Listening to My Body
• Dr. Peter Levine: Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes
• Chandra Gosh Ippen: Once I was Very, Very Scared

57. With Appreciation and Thank you!
Developed by Julie Kurtz, Julie Nicholson, and Linda Perez. © 2017, WestEd. No further reproduction is
permitted without express permission of the copyright holder. Send inquiries to jnichol@wested.org