Jennifer Agostino

Helping Teachers Recognize Trauma Symptoms and Manage Dysregulation

In this MMP, I will identify behavioral reactions of children with trauma histories, and present interventions, helpful for any dysregulated child, including those without trauma. Children with trauma histories often display behaviors of hyperactivity, aggression, or inattention. However, they may, more accurately, be having a trauma response.  The brain of a child with trauma, processes information differently, leading to emotional dysregulation and an inability to access higher-order thinking. These children often misread benign cues as threatening, and consequently, overreact.  Fearful children cease to think logically and simply react; learning cannot take place until they are regulated and feel safe.