Numerous case study vignettes describe how different types of childhood trauma can manifest in a child's ability to connect, attend, learn, and communicate. 8 Impact of trauma on attention and learning 98 9 Impact of trauma on children's vocabulary and semantics 107 10 Impact of trauma on pragmatics: use of language, social signs,. Trauma can profoundly affect a child's presentation and communicative functioning, but there is relatively little clinical information about the specific ways in which coercion manifests itself in children's language and communication; or how best to support them in them.
Similarly, many mental health professionals are unaware of how trauma affects children's communication and/or development; although language and communication are part of many therapeutic interventions, the narration and interpretation of feelings and events.
Part 1
Even when the baby is calm, the baby may not return eye contact and "see right through the parent." If their experiences were discouraging and they were yelled at for being “unclear” or “didn't know what they wanted,” they might find speaking intimidating and limit their communication efforts. Please give it to him.” They love stories, remember well-known stories and can stop a parent who does so.
They begin to demonstrate an ability to regulate their responses and delay gratification, although they often do this imperfectly (e.g., they may say "it's my toy") and reach for the object rather than just grabbing it. to take the other child away; they may complain to an adult: “I'm pushing me!”).
Part 2
She just became numb and sometimes felt unreal or like she was "looking at everything from the outside". The numbness continued and the teachers complained that she was a "space cadet" and should pay more attention. She always did," the mother said, "it just shows more now that she's walking. She gets angry as fast as you'd think, - the caretaker told me.
His parents were careful and discreet with teachers, but when asked to know more "about Dawid's heritage," the father shook his head vigorously. However, that food does not always go to the children who need it most. On paper, the two girls were getting school breakfast, but in reality their foster mother was usually late, so the girls often missed it.
Babies who spend most of their days in cots may be afraid of being picked up - the vestibular stimulation can be overwhelming and they may feel safer in solitary familiarity than in someone's arms. The prevalence of emotional abuse—the most difficult to define and report—increases steadily with the age of the child, partly because of cumulative effects and partly because the risk of emotional abuse grows as children get older (US-DHHS 2013a). The principal muttered "some background of domestic violence" but that he understood things were "good now." "They're probably better," the aunt admitted undaunted, "but that doesn't change her learning what she saw."
He allegedly admitted sharing the images with others with "similar interests" and taking "potentially inappropriate" photos of the child, but denied ever "interfering with her". The police and Marcy's mother were pretty sure it was, even though forensics couldn't rule out other causes for the genital findings. The child's experiences and their reactions to them form and connect with regulatory systems (eg hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis) and build neurological "highways". Although most sensory and motor information is processed and controlled contralaterally (e.g. the left hemisphere controls movement of the right side of the body and vice versa), there is considerable crossover and integration between structures on both sides of the brain (Choe et al 2013, Knickmeyer et al 2008, van der Kolk 2014).
If a caregiver is angry, hurtful, ignoring, or abusive, these experiences become "wired into" the baby's brain, along with the chemical, hormonal, physiological, and affective connections that experience formed.
Part 3
If you weren't there, you wouldn't understand," they may say, "I didn't think, I just acted," or "I don't know how I got from A to B, it just happen." . Even under duress, adults can have some context for what happened - they may be in excruciating pain when being treated after a car accident, but they know what an accident is and that the doctors are trying to help. If you are asked, "Are you hungry?" they may eat even if they eat their fill because they believe they should.
Some felt that words would hurt their caregivers (for example, they would be upset by a child's expression of despair or pain) and therefore stopped finding ways to explain this (Carlsson et al., 2008, Carter , 2002, Drew, 2007). Children may feel bad because of the distress that 'they' (i.e. their pain) bring up in their parents, and do not cry, ask or try to explain, but instead manage it through dissociation. We called that excitement they felt “hope” (they all “won” because of an “artistic skill”).
Infants will intentionally touch a forbidden object and pause to anticipate the caregiver's “no”. They can repeat it, thrilled that it 'works.' Repetition teaches infants what to expect, as well as the limits of what is permissible and the impact of their actions, vocalizations, smiles and cries (Baron 1992, de Boysson-Bardies 1999, Cozolino 2006, Ninio and Snow 1996, Schore 2012, Siegel 2012). A person's vocabulary and grammar can be acceptable or better, but if their pragmatics are "off" they can be judged as stupid, impolite or socially inept. They may use only a limited repertoire of communicative purposes and the 'rules' they derive from their reality (e.g. answer but don't initiate, don't ask) may not match the rules of society (Pearce & Pezzot-Pearce 1997, Silberg 2013, Yehuda 2005).
I just showed you how to do this!" they sputtered, throwing up their hands in dismay at what was done so wrong. If a preschooler is asked, "Did you see your brother's pacifier?" the child will answer yes or no, but will probably look around for the pacifier or add, "Daddy put it in the stroller." They understand both the question and the reason behind it, as well as the expected answer. He rarely had a private corner or knew where he wanted to sleep—when his mother survived the hospitality, wherever they were visiting, they went on, sometimes in the middle of the night.
Remembering that there is something scary to forget is also scary; so children may not realize what they are pushing away - they have amnesia for their amnesia - they forget that they have forgotten.
Part 4
It may also appear inconsistent, with the child confessing well at times, then poorly at other times (Yehuda 2005). Other times, fluctuations in the quality of the narrative may reflect the child's difficulty with the content or connection of an event, or memories of the trauma it evokes. Whenever children with communication problems have multiple diagnoses, it is important to look beyond the labels and examine the child's symptoms, behaviors, and responses.
It can also offer ways to identify and minimize the impact of stress on the child so that the benefits of intervention can be maximized and the child's well-being improved. It is helpful to note what kind of response the child had: how abrupt it was, the child's impact and its response to supportive redirection and grounding. Delays and difficulties in skills and behavior may be the primary problem or secondary to other problems in the child's life.
How does the child's development proceed outside the 'identified complaint' - at school, with peers, with adults, communicative, academic, physical, emotional. If this is an exacerbation, have there been changes in the child's life (e.g., home or school, recent loss, change of caregiver, medical emergency, or other crises). Do they argue about whether the child's problems are real and worthy of care, or whether they are being blown out of proportion?
Throughout the intake, I ask caregivers to tell me about their child's abilities, personality, things the child enjoys (and if anyone has changed recently). When the parents list all the things that are 'wrong with the child', I ask them to tell me 'what is right'.
Part 5
The same applies to children's behavior towards others: we cannot assume that children know or understand. In my practice, unless I need to protect the child (eg from a fall), I usually wait until the child makes contact. If they hit another child, I would ask them to apologize to the child so that both children are convinced that physical violence requires an apology.
Practice increases understanding and solidifies the soothing association so that it is home and established if the child initiates. Tell the child that no one is hurt, that they are safe now, they are not hurt, and they are fine. When the child seems more present, it can help to ask if they are okay.
The child may not remember or may find it difficult to articulate his feelings. It is important to refrain from using probing questions such as "Why did you do that?" and "What bothered you?" The child may or may not know. When the child calms down, repeat what happened (he may not have been able to process it before).
Storytelling can help bring the child's experience into awareness and provide an opportunity to practice several response options. A sense of security can be increased by informing medical personnel about the child's needs and ways of grounding.
