How Do Neglect And Abuse Alter The Course Of Normal Childhood Development?
The lives of the majority of children who come in contact with child protective services and the
juvenile justice system are marked by conditions that prevent healthy development. Family instability,
neglect of children's basic needs, sexual abuse, and physical abuse set them on a trajectory towards
repeating dysfunctional family patterns and settling for less than they deserve out of life. Their
difficulty trusting and relating to others results in defensive, self-protective behaviors that puzzle
and often frighten others.
The effects of trauma, especially when it is repeated and persistent, can be felt in all aspects of a
child's life. Children exposed to repeated trauma learn not to trust and may never become comfortable
in relationships. They often grow up without the ability to take care of themselves in healthy ways.
Often, our attempts to protect children create more traumatic experiences for children. To break the
cycle of intergenerational abuse and neglect, it is critical to give traumatized children the opportunity
to experience a world in which they can learn how to live healthy and productive lives. A child cannot be
punished into "behaving well", especially when he/she has never learned important life lessons
that prepare children for living in harmony with others.
In this workshop, participants will:
- Learn about trauma, especially complex trauma that begins in early childhood, and how it affects the development of children
- Learn to identify potential trauma history among children they work with
- Become "trauma sensitive" and learn how to prevent retraumatization
- Learn how to talk to traumatized children to reduce defensiveness
- Learn how to advocate for traumatized children
- Learn what child victims of trauma need in order to heal and grow
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