Assuring Positive Educational Experiences
For Children in Out-of-home Care
The short video below, "ReMoved", portrays the trauma experienced by a child who is removed from her home and its impact on her spirit, behavior and relationships. Note: The video depicts domestic violence.
When the brain recognizes a threat, it discharges hormones and chemicals to respond to the immediate crisis and take survival action – to fight, flee or freeze. Sensory functions take over; cognitive functions are set aside.
A child who experiences developmental trauma suffers severe, prolonged stress, and he or she may remain in an extended state of arousal and cannot reach that place of mental, emotional and physical calm. The stress becomes toxic. A neurobiological system intended to help begins to harm the body.
Our brain is designed to change based on our experiences. When the stress response system is activated for too long, it can become the primary pattern for how the brain organizes itself. The child’s neurobiology adapts to prioritize survival over development affecting all areas of a child’s development.
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