Developmental changes in reasoning and communication can influence the way children and teenagers respond after a traumatic event, and the types of support they need from the people around them.
Younger school-aged children (i.e. aged 7 to 12 years) are better able to describe their experiences and express their needs compared to pre-schoolers, but some may still find it difficult to fully understand the event. Their abilities to express and regulate emotions are also still developing, and they still rely on the adults around them to model and teach helpful coping strategies.
As children grow older and reach their teenage years (aged 13 to 18 years), their brains go through a period of extensive pruning and change. These neurobiological changes may cause teenagers to experience emotions more intensely and behave more impulsively. Peer acceptance and a sense of belonging are especially important to them at this stage of their development which is why they might prefer to reach out to peers as compared to adults, and be particularly concerned about how their friends perceive them after a traumatic event.
Click on the links in the side bar to find out more about what educators can do to support school-aged children and teenagers after a traumatic event!
When children perceive that they are physically and emotionally safe in an environment, their brains are less likely to remain vigilant to potential sources of danger or threat. This means that they will have more capacity to learn and regulate their behaviour and emotions. Here are some things you can do to create a physically and emotionally safe environment in school for children who have experienced a traumatic event.
Educators can play an important role in building connections with children and teenagers by getting to know them and providing support through everyday interactions. Children feel safe when their relationships with their educators (amongst other significant people in their lives) are warm and responsive. Safe relationships can help bring children’s brains, emotions, and behaviours back into regulation, enabling them to have greater capacity to engage in learning too. Here are some things that you can do to build warm and responsive connections with children in school.
Co-regulation is a process where others in the environment model appropriate strategies thus soothing a child’s emotions. This then gradually helps children and teenagers develop an ability to manage their feelings more independently (i.e. self-regulation).
You can help to soothe a child’s big emotions by connecting with them in a calm demeanour by:
You can respond supportively to their emotions by:
Empower the child or teenager by encouraging them to solve the problems they face by using the following steps:
Social support is a protective factor in times of difficulties and reaching out for help is an important concept that can be taught early on. To encourage children and teenagers to seek support from others, consider using the following steps:
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