Early Child Trauma Statistics

Throughout the years, several adults have been affected by traumatic events that have taken place during their childhood(s). Lenore C. Terr (January, 1999) states, "Childhood trauma appears to be a critical etiological factor in the development of a number of serious disorders both in childhood and in adulthood." To better understand childhood trauma, Terr defines this as, the "mental result of one sudden, external or a series of blows, rendering the young person temporarily helpless and breaking past ordinary coping and defense operations" (January, 1999). The statistics of childhood trauma is alarming. In the United States, there are approximately five million children that experience trauma each year, with two million of these cases

The exposure of children to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and other forms of maltreatment is

Sixty percent of adults report experiencing abuse or other difficult family circumstances during childhood. (Mental Health Connection, N.D.). This shocking statistic exemplifies the high prevalence of childhood trauma. Furthermore, twenty-six percent of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before the age of four. (Mental Health Connection, N.D.) Trauma is an extremely common and complex phenomenon. But what is trauma? According to Merriam Webster, trauma is defined as, “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury.” (Merriam Webster, 2017). Dr. Lenore C. Terr from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of America further describes trauma as unique to each individual. It can be caused by a series of events or one severe incident. Unfortunately, childhood trauma is usually experienced repeatedly. For example, many children endure sexual abuse, bullying, and severe family problems over and over again. Children may experience a variety of traumas that have lasting consequences on their mental health. Those who experience childhood trauma are more likely to develop psychological disorders. This occurs because their brains lack neuroplasticity, which inhibits their ability to adapt to various stressful circumstances.

In the immediate, as well as long-term aftermath of exposure to trauma, children are at risk of developing significant emotional and behavior difficulties (CWIG, 2012). The most damaging types of trauma include early physical and sexual abuse, neglect, emotional/psychological abuse, exposure to domestic violence and other forms of child maltreatment (Hoch, 2009). Research has shown that children that are exposed to these types of trauma will experience developmental delays including language and verbal processing. Also, they will have risk of poor physiological and psychosocial functioning, and will be vulnerable to emotional and behavioral dysregulation disorders, thus, leading to an increase risk of poor outcomes including substance abuse, suicidality, teen pregnancy and paternity, criminal activity, and revictimization (Hoch, 2009).

“27% percent, of the 702,000 victims of Childhood Maltreatment, are under the age of Three.” (Child Maltreatment, 2014)

Scientific research over the last 20 years has demonstrated that repeated exposure to trauma and chronic stress in early childhood can impair brain development. For my research I have chosen the topic: Childhood Trauma and how the environment affects their learning. Increasing the quality of service and their stability help to foster positive responsive relationships with nurturing caregivers. As children struggle it is important for us to identify environmental factors and triggers that have an impact in the capability of children’s learning experiences. Having an open and ongoing healthy relationships with parents as well as students helps deal with these struggles that children face today.

Childhood is a time for playdates and learning, a time for big dreams and imaginary adventures. Safety and security should not be questions that linger in uncertainty. However, this is not the case for many children across the globe. Thousands of children from all walks of life each day are faced with unspeakable horror and must deal with the resulting trauma from then on. However, in children, managing this trauma takes a different toll on the mind and heart than it does in adults. While the type of trauma may vary in pervasiveness across countries, trauma occurring in childhood has the ability to cause long term damage to the growing neurological functioning in the brain and negatively influence children’s spiritual development, wounding

Trauma is a serious issue that more than 25 percent of children in America experience by the age of 16 (Pynoos & Fairbank, 2003, as cited in Williams & Lent, 2008). Trauma may can involve: household violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, terrorisms, natural disasters, and loss of a loved one through death, divorce or abandonment (Van Westrhenen & Fritz, 2014; Williams & Lent, 2008). Dripchak defines trauma as a sudden extraordinary event that overpowers an individual’s ability to cope and manage their reaction to the event (2007, Williams & Lent, 2008). An individual’s response to trauma is subjective and multidimensional. With several factors influencing how individuals respond to trauma.

The maltreatment of children occurs at extraordinarily increasing proportions and is becoming a significant health risk to the children it is happening to. One of the major public health concerns should be identifying the risk factors associated with the maltreatment of these children and the just how much resistance these children really have against this abuse. Regardless of how much elasticity the general public in a whole may think these children have against maltreatment, they are still at a major risk of having diminished or compromised psychological and physical health later in life as an adult and are also are at extreme risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children who were not subject to maltreatment are still

After interviewing with Elizabeth Domingos-Shepard, MFT, I was able to gain a better understanding of the impact trauma has on a child, physically, biologically, and emotionally. Elizabeth (2016) explained that trauma can alter the chemistry of one’s brain by stating, “There is evidence in research that the brain actually is affected by trauma. It can alter the develop of the brain during significant periods of growth, particularly in the first years of life as well as in adolescence. For example, in cases of severe neglect, the brain doesn 't grow as the rate it should due to lack of exposure to appropriate stimuli. However, with early intervention, the child can potentially catch up in brain development. This is due to the concept of neuroplasticity.” The actual removal of children from their caretaker can, “be as impactful or more impactful that the reason why they were re moved to begin with (abuse or neglect) (Domingos-Shepard, 2016). Elizabeth (2016) stresses the importance of assessment when dealing with a child who has experienced any trauma and that assessment is always ongoing. In details to how trauma impacts a child cognitively, physically, and emotionally, Elizabeth (2016) informs that children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect, may have a single incident of trauma or multiple incidents with they may experience a number of emotional, cognitive or physical consequences of trauma, such as brain development delays, development of an insecure attachment

Studying child trauma has become increasingly popular to gain a wider understanding of the issue. It is estimated that around one in three children exposed to trauma do develop PTSD (Fletcher, 2003). Child PTSD has been widely observed in children who witness violent crimes (Schwarz & Kowalski, 1991) or whom have survived severe traumatic events. Children directly or indirectly exposed to war conflict experience a variety of stressors, and many develop both short-term and long-term post-traumatic stress reactions (Barenbaum, Ruchkin & Schwab‐Stone, 2004). Common reactions after a traumatic experience include; fear, numbness, anger, change in sleep and appetite, nightmares, avoidance of certain situations and some also experience feelings of

Trauma exposure in childhood links with forms of psychotherapy (McLaughlin & Lambert, 2017). When children experience exposure to a traumatic event during childhood, it alters their affective and neurobiological development, to improving their ability to identify possible threats in the environment and amplifyies emotional responses to those threats (McLaughlin & Lambert, 2017). Traumatic events during childhood can negatively impact academic and social development through various pathways, including brain development (Layne et al.,

This video completely changes my outlook on the effects of childhood trauma. We all know that a child’s development is extremely important, especially after taking this class. Doctor Nadine Burke-Harris points out that if a child experiences an abusive unloving environment or parents with substance abuse disorder than that child will grow up with a higher chance of health risks. The leading cause of deaths in the United States is high exposure to childhood trauma because the trauma puts you at a higher risk for certain health risks. I believe this knowledge would be most helpful for anyone who is going to potentially deal with traumatized child like a social worker or a therapist. I believe this information would help a social worker or a

Before coming into the Educational Counseling program at La Verne, I had taken a few courses in child development and psychology, but never did I think about the trauma that could affect a child’s early development. I assumed that it was easier for a child at a younger age to forget about what they had experienced because they were too young to form an attachment, especially for infants; how could an infant know about forming emotional bonds and retain information that could impact him or her for the rest of his or her lives. I assumed that the time when children began to have profound experiences would be when they entered grade school and they would not remember any distress or trauma.

The resource I chose to enhance further knowledge on trauma is a website called Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC). CECMHC is a program that was created by a grant from the Office of Head Start. The link I provided is a tutorial section 7. Tutorial 7 is recognizing and addressing trauma in infants, young children, and their families. This particular tutorial has five different modules. Module 1 discusses what is trauma and the various types of trauma. Module 2 tells individuals the many impact trauma can have on an infant through young childhood. Module 3 discusses the signs of trauma and symptoms. Module 4 recognizing and understanding the role of consultant in addressing trauma. Module 5 provide further learning