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VIRTUAL�Trauma and the Brain

Module Three

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Outcomes

Participants will be able to:

Discuss how the core strengths can be impacted by trauma

Describe the impact of trauma on a student’s brain�
Describe the impact of trauma on learning

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TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

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SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Bruce Perry

Core Strengths

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The Six Core Strengths For �Healthy Child Development

Dr. Bruce Perry

https://youtu.be/skaYWKC6iD4

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Key Takeaways from the Video

What are some key take-ways for you?

Developing the 6 core strengths is a biological process- sequential acquisition of capabilities that is matched by the development of the brain�
These happen in a sequential order, not necessarily by age of the child �
Keep this in mind as we are planning, it can help us shift how we set up our school and classrooms

We can’t change the development they come in with, but we can set the environment up to increase the likelihood of success

Virtual

Discussion

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#1 Attachment

The ability to form a dyadic relationship one to one with a caregiver.
This is one of the first neuro biological processes that is organized and developed in the human brain.
Before complex thought, regulate sleep/wake
The base

The Six Core Strengths For Healthy Children Development Bruce Perry�

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#2 Self-regulation

The relationship with the caregiver is what allows us to learn how to regulate ourselves

The Six Core Strengths For Healthy Children Development Bruce Perry�

#3 Affiliation

Learn to have relationships, connect with other people and that you are part of another group.

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#4 Awareness

See people are different than you
Get a sense that not everyone is like you
Promotes awareness of what others are like; once you are aware then you have opportunities to learn tolerance

The Six Core Strengths For Healthy Children Development Bruce Perry�

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#5 Tolerance

Understanding how others are different
Value what makes each of us special

The Six Core Strengths For Healthy Children Development Bruce Perry�

#6 Respect

Part of a larger home/respect
The world needs diversity

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Let’s Connect

Connecting Core Strengths to the Classroom

With your team discuss:

What are some strategies you see teachers use to develop these Core Strengths?
How do you see the sequential development of these skills playing out in the classroom?

1. Attachment

2. Self-Regulation

3. Affiliation

4. Awareness

5. Tolerance

6. Respect

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IMPACT OF TRAUMA ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

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Brain Development

: https://youtu.be/qFTljLo1bK8

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Bottom-Up Development

Cognition

Social/ Emotional

Regulation

Survival

Cognition

Social/ Emotional

Regulation

Survival

Typical Development

Adverse Experiences

Adapted from Holt & Jordan, Ohio Dept. of Education

The upper part of the brain is the prefrontal cortex. It regulates judgment, decision making, moral reasoning, planning, impulse control, cause & effect thinking, comprehension skills, information processing, self awareness and self esteem, delay of gratification, and many other functions that involve rational thinking.

The mid-brain is deals with key functions of emotions and memory.

The lower part of the brain mobilizes the body for action (i.e., fight or flight response) when danger is perceived and overrides the upper part of the brain.

When a child perceives or is on watch for danger persistently (i.e., constant state of “yellow alert”), this causes higher and prolonged levels of cortisol to be present in the bloodstream, resulting in toxic stress, and the prefrontal cortex may be underdeveloped. The result doesn’t just change brain functioning; it can actually change the brain structurally.

The typical child spends little time focused on survival and can devote most of her/his waking time to cognition and social-emotional functioning. For a child who has experienced developmental trauma, the triangle can become inverted with the majority of the brain’s attention focused on survival, leaving little left for cognition.

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UPSTAIRS BRAIN

Made up of cerebral cortex/parts behind forehead (middle prefrontal cortex)
More evolved and fuller perspective
Highly sophisticated
Intricate mental processes
Higher order and analytical thinking

Planning
Control over emotions
Self-understanding
Empathy
Morality

THE WHOLE BRAIN CHILD: 12 12 REVOLUTIONARY STRATEGIES TO� NURTURE YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPING MIND

DANIEL J. SIEGEL, TINA PAYNE BRYSON

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DOWNSTAIRS BRAIN

Brain stem and limbic region
Lower parts of the brain
Top of neck to bridge of nose
More primitive
Basic functions

Breathing and blinking

Innate reactions & impulses

Fight/flight

THE WHOLE BRAIN CHILD: 12 12 REVOLUTIONARY STRATEGIES TO� NURTURE YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPING MIND

DANIEL J. SIEGEL, TINA PAYNE BRYSON

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https://momentousinstitute.org/

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Amygdala�(uh-MIG-duh-luh)

THE WHOLE BRAIN CHILD: 12 12 REVOLUTIONARY STRATEGIES TO �NURTURE YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPING MIND

DANIEL J. SIEGEL, TINA PAYNE BRYSON

Trigger

https://businesstech.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Hijacking.png

Reference:

Siegel/Payne: “The babygate of the mind. My amygdala made me do it. The amygdala is about the size and shape of an almond and is part of the limbic area, which resides in the downstairs brain. The amygdala’s job is to quickly process and express emotions, especially anger and fear. This little mass of gray matter is the watchdog of the brain, remaining always alert for times we might be threatened. When it does sense danger, it can completely take over or hijack the upstairs brain.”

What to say about this slide:

The Amygdala is the size and shape of an almond. It is the watchdog of your brain as it helps watch for anything that might require reaction of fight, flight or freeze. Anything that triggers that reaction, causes amygdala to hijack our brain and send us into downstairs/survival brain mode.

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THE WHOLE BRAIN CHILD: 12 12 REVOLUTIONARY STRATEGIES TO �NURTURE YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPING MIND

DANIEL J. SIEGEL, TINA PAYNE BRYSON

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Additional Video Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVRO7PdYRnM Dr. Bruce Perry on brain development and regulation (4 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOsgDkeH52o ) Dr. Bruce Perry on Brain Development in 7 Slide Series (13 minutes)

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Let’s Connect

Think:

Before we go into breakouts with your team, lets take 2 minutes to get your thoughts together.
Identify your key talking points for how the brain develops and what happens when the brain is triggered.

Share:

Take turns sharing your elevator speeches for brain development.
Listen and refine.

Report-out highlights from conversations.

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IMPACT TRAUMA �ON LEARNING

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Impact on Student’s View of World

I live in a predictable & benevolent world
I am worthwhile
I am hopeful & optimistic about my future
I have the ability to impact & change my life

The world is not safe
People want to hurt me
I am afraid
No one will help me
I am not good/smart/ worthy enough for people to care about me
It will never get better
I need to establish personal power & control

Typical Development

Development Impacted by Trauma

vs.

The Heart of Learning & Teaching Compassion, Resiliency & Academic Success (Wolpow et al, 2009)

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Affects Learning

Adversely affects students’ ability to:

Acquire language & communication skills
Understand cause & effect
Take another person’s perspective
Attend to classroom instruction
Regulate emotions
Engage the curriculum
Utilize executive functions

Make plans
Organize work
Follow classroom rules

The Heart of Learning & Teaching Compassion, Resiliency & Academic Success (Wolpow et al, 2009)

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Affects School Performance

Lower scores on standardized achievement tests

(Goodman et al, 2011)

Substantial decrements in IQ, reading achievement & language �(Delaney-Black et al, 2002)

2.5x more likely to be retained (Grevstad, 2007; Sanger et al, 2000; Shonk et al, 2001)

Suspended & expelled more often �(Grevstad, 2007; Sanger et al, 2000; Shonk et al, 2001)

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Misreading Cues

Young children impacted by adverse experiences spend much time in a low-level state of fear learning to read adults’ non-verbal cues to keep themselves safe

Their safety depends upon knowing when an adult becomes a “dangerous bear”

Student may not interpret innocent or neutral looks, actions, & touches from others at school as benign

Difficult for student to re-learn these cues as meaning different things in different environments

Adapted from Chris Dunning

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ALWAYS ON GUARD!

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State-dependent Functioning�(higher states of arousal mean lower brain functioning)

Always on guard means that students impacted by trauma are in higher states of arousal. Higher states of arousal means lower brain functioning. So a student who is in Alarm state coming into school is not going to be able to access their Neocortex or the thinking part of their brain.

Our goal is to establish safe, predictable and consistent environments to support students to operate in the Calm or Alert states as often as possible. As student’s stress response is activated, they begin to access lower parts of their brain that reduce their ability to think logically and rationally.

These diagrams represent that our brains develop from the bottom up and that the lower portions of our brains support lower-functioning or basic functions for survival. For example, brainstem controls breathing, swallowing, heart rate, etc vs cortext controls higher levels of thinking and reasoning. More to come on brain development in future modules.

Teachers also need to operate in the Calm or Alert states in order to be at their best teaching!

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Higher Baseline State of Arousal

Students impacted by trauma may be in a persistent psychological state of alarm

Constant “yellow alert”

Likely to be more reactive than peers, as external stressors are introduced (i.e. complicated task at school, disagreement with a peer, etc.)

Fight, flight, freeze

Over-reading a possibility of threat leads to lower brain functioning & impulsive acts

(i.e. striking out physically or verbally, leaving the classroom, shutting down, etc.)

Student views his/her actions as defensive and justified

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Let’s Connect

In Groups:

What stood out about how trauma impacts learning?
What is your baseline on an average day?
Can you think of youth who typically have a higher baseline?
How does this challenge or reinforce your thinking?

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ADDITIONAL SOURCES

American Institutes for Research (AIR). (2019). Trauma-Sensitive Schools Training Package. Retrieved from: https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/building-trauma-sensitive-schools

Brandi Simonsen, D. M. (2015). Class-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports . New York, New York, United States: The Guilford Press.

Craig, S. E. (2016). Trauma-sensitive schools: Learning communities transforming children'slives, K-5. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

DeWitt, Peter (2011). Ed Week: What Great Educators Do Differently: A Conversation with Todd Whitaker.

Kent McIntosh, S. G. (2016). Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Blending RTI and PBIS. New York, New York, United States of America: The Guilford Press.

OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (October 2015). Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Implementation Blueprint: Part 1 – Foundations and Supporting Information. Eugene, OR: University of Oregon. Retrieved from www.pbis.org.

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ADDITIONAL SOURCES

Nakazawa Jackson, D. (2015). Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal.

Siegel, D. J. & Bryson, T. P. (2012). The whole-brain child. New York, NY: Bantam Books Trade Paperback Edition.

Souers, K. & Hall, P. (2016). Fostering resilient learners: Strategies for creating trauma-sensitive classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014

Wolpow, R., Johnson, M. M., Hertel, R., Kincaid, S. O. (May 2016).

The heart of learning and teaching: Compassion, resiliency, and academic success. Washing State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.