Trauma+and+children

[|Calmer Classrooms] is a valuable resource for early childhood, kindergarten, primary and secondary teachers, and other school personnel working with children whose lives have been affected by trauma. In most cases trauma has been brought on by early childhood neglect and/or abuse but can also be a result of other traumatic early childhood experiences such as severe illness, disaster or accident.

Calmer Classrooms explains Attachment theories and Trauma theories in depth to help teachers understand the neurobiological and psychological impact of trauma on a child’s academic performance and social functioning. The booklet has a myriad of teaching strategies for working with traumatised children including establishing a relationship with the child, guidelines for defusing conflict, creating structure and consistency in the classroom and planning for challenging incidents. It also has a separate chapter on responding to Indigenous children’s needs. The aim of the implementation of these strategies is to enable traumatised children to stay in mainstream schooling.

Calmer Classrooms supports the difficult role of the teachers working with a child whose life has been affected by trauma. It devotes chapters on teachers’self care and participation in care team forums that maintain collaboration and cooperation between parents, carers, agencies and institutions working with the child.

“Teachers who understand the effects of trauma on children’s education, who are able to develop teaching practices to help them, and who are able to participate actively and collaboratively in the systems designed to support traumatised children will not only improve their educational outcomes but will assist in their healing and recovery.” (Downey, 2007, p.iv)

__ Reference: __ Downey, L. (2007). //Calmer Classrooms//: //A guide to working with// // traumatised children. // Melbourne, Australia: Child Safety Commissioner

**__Child Trauma Academy__**
Child Trauma Academy is an American not-for-profit organisation working to improve the lives of high-risk children through service, research and education.

Please note certificates of completion are not offered to participants **. **
 * [|ChildTraumaAcademy.com] ** is the Academy’s free Online University offering four online courses on creative and practical approaches to understanding and working with maltreated children for anyone mandated to protect and educate children (e.g.childcare providers, teachers, child protection workers, social workers, nurses). These courses are written by Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. who is a Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy.
 * 1) [|**Surviving Childhood: An Introduction to the Impact of Trauma**] gives an introduction to childhood trauma, the physiological and psychological effects of this trauma on individuals and our society, and the importance and the effects of early treatment.
 * 2) [|**The Amazing Human Brain and Human Development**]provides an overview of the key principles of neurodevelopment and describes the emerging clinical and research findings that suggest the negative impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on brain development. It also o utlines the clinical implications of a neurodevelopmental approach to child maltreatment, and discusses the role of public policy and preventative practices on children's emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social and physical health.
 * 3) **[|Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children]** provides an overview of the principles of attachment and bonding in healthy child development and discusses the various ways that neglect and maltreatment influence attachment. This course will help professionals identify behaviors associated with attachment difficulties and explores ways to help this at-risk population.
 * 4) **[|The Cost of Caring]:** **Secondary Traumatic Stress and the Impact of Working with High-Risk Children and Families** discusses the concepts of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. This course describes individual, event-related and systemic factors which increase or decrease risk for developing trauma-related symptoms, and helps individuals understand the value of developing “protective” strategies when they work in conditions likely to cause secondary traumatic stress. It also lists additional resources that can further assist individuals working with maltreated children and talks about the role of child advocates.
 * [|ChildTrauma.org] ** is the Academy’s main website. It contains a host of articles on child development and maltreatment and offers a variety of training products.

Child Trauma Academy. (2005). Retrieved July 6, 2011, from []
 * References: **

__**Teaching the Survivors of Trauma**__ The Faculty of Human Science Macquarie University, Sydney has set up this web page called //Teaching the survivors of torture and trauma// (Macquarie University 2008). It is run by Australian experts and has information for teachers whose students have suffered trauma. The information that they provide for teachers include signs that the student has experienced some form of trauma, what teachers can do and how teachers can look after themselves and not be too affected by the students' stories. The site also provides useful links to services available to survivors of torture and trauma.

Macquarie University 2008//, Teaching the survivors of torture and// trauma, viewed 26 July 2011, []