introductions, objectives, and agenda

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Early Childhood Learning Webinar: Brain Science and the Effects of Stress and Trauma

Heidi Reed Director, Professional Learning Turnaround for Children

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Introductions, Objectives, and Agenda

My background and what we’ll be doing today

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OBJECTIVES

• Explain how stress, trauma, and adversity impacts the brain, learning, and development

Understand the Stress Response System

Define the three areas of the brain that respond to stress

Define Adverse Child Experiences and explain their impact on young children

• Discuss how supportive environments and positive developmental relationships can mitigate the effects of stress, trauma, and adversity on young children

Participants will be able to …

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AGENDA

•

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The Stress Response System

What do we mean by stress? What are the

biological mechanisms of stress?

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INTRO TO THE STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEM

On One Side of the Chart:

• Think about the last few times you

experienced stress or felt stressed. Jot each stressor that you think of as a

separate item

On the other side of the Chart:

• Think about how you felt during that time

(physically, emotionally, mentally). Jot each descriptor of your stress responsenext to the stressor

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Share: • What do you notice about your stressors?

• What do you notice about your physical, emotional, and mental responses to stress (your symptoms)?

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ADRENALINE AND CORTISOLYour heart

beats faster Your blood

pressure

increases

Perspiration

increases

Liver releases

sugar

Arms and legs

receive extra

energy

Breathing

quickens

Stomach

constricts

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PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION TO STRESS

• Increase immediate availability of energy

• Increase oxygen intake

• Inhibit growth, digestion, reproductive function, pain perception

• Increase blood flow to important flight/flight areas

• Enhancement of memory/performance

• Boost immune function

• Release of mood stabilizers & endorphins

Flight.

Freeze.

Fight.

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Positive Stress Tolerable Stress Toxic StressBrief increases in heart rate, mild

elevations in stress hormone levels Serious, temporary stress responses, buffered by supportive relationships

Prolonged activation of stress response systems in the absence of protective relationships

Alerts and prepares us Manageable through buffering relationships

If left unbuffered, can affect development of the brain and body

For all children, positive relationships and environments buffer the effects of stress and catalyze healthy development.

Source: Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

NEW LEARNING

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Question(s):

How might stress be impacting children

you work with or families you support? (What might they be experiencing as positive stress?

Tolerable stress? Toxic stress?)

STOPAND

THINK

Brain Science for Early Childhood

How does stress impact learning and the

developing brain?

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The Limbic System

The Brain’s Learning Centers

The Limbic System

The Effects of Chronic, Unbuffered Stress

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Question(s):

What is the impact on learning and

development when a child’s stress

response system is activated?

Why do you think this so important for

families, care providers, teachers,

schools, etc. to understand?

HOW WOULDYOU

EXPLAIN IT?

BRAIN SCIENCE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

Q & A !

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Understanding How Context Drives Development

What do we mean by context and why does

context matter?

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Context MattersAll children develop in context – the array of relationships, environment, and societal structures they interact with both directly and indirectly.

This bidirectional relationship between a child and their context, biology, and environment drives all development.

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Context MattersThe microsystem context is the child’s immediate environment and relationships, with which the child interacts directly.

For example, this may include families, teachers, or peers, school, a neighbor’s apartment, or the local community center.

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Context MattersThe mesosystem context acknowledges that both the child’s immediate environment and the relationships between aspects of the child’s immediate environment can impact development.

For example, the interactions between teachers and parents or the coordination between the school and doctor’s office may affect the child even if the child is not directly involved.

STRESS HORMONE

CORTISOL

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Context MattersThe larger macrosystem includes the cultural context in which a child develops – social and political context, laws, policies, etc. While the child may not interact with the macrosystem directly, it can shape the child’s experiences.

For example, institutionalized racism in the justice system may affect a child’s community or family –and, therefore, the child.

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Context Matters

STRESS HORMONE

CORTISOL

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What conditions can hinder learning and development?

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Share:

The word trauma gets thrown around a

lot and, in some circles, has become a

bit of a buzzword…

• What do you think “counts” as

“trauma”?

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INTRO TO TRAUMA and ACEs

Trauma occurs when…

• Children are exposed to events or situations that overwhelm their ability to cope with what they have just

experienced

• Child physical abuse

• Child sexual abuse

• Child emotional abuse

• Emotional neglect • Witnessing domestic violence

against the mother

• Loss of a parent to death or

abandonment by parental

divorce

• Incarceration of any family

member for a crime

• Physical neglect

• Mentally ill, depressed or

suicidal person in the

home

• Drug addicted or alcoholic

family member

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• Housing

Instability/Homelessness

• Separation from Parents

• Overly Punitive School

Discipline

• Racism

• Poverty

• Systemic Oppression

• Exposure to Community Violence

• Microaggressions

• Stereotype Threat

NOT INCLUDED IN FELITTI STUDY

CHILDREN WHO EXPERIENCE 4 OR MORE ACEs:

10-12x 2-3x 32xgreater risk forINTRAVENOUSDRUG USE and

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

greater risk ofdeveloping HEART

DISEASE and CANCER

more likely to haveLEARNING and

BEHAVIORALPROBLEMS

8 10outof

LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH in the U.S.correlate with exposure to 4 or more ACEs

Source: Felitti et al. (1998)34

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6 OR MORE ACEs:

on average, lifespan shortened by nearly

years20Source: Felitti et al. (1998) 35

WASHINGTON SCHOOL CLASSROOM OF 30 STUDENTS:

20% (6) students with no ACE

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20% (6) students with no ACE80% (24) students with 1 or more ACEs


20% (6) students with no ACE47% (14) students with 1-3 ACE23% (7) students with 4 or 5 ACEs10% (3) students with 6 or more ACEs

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ACEs and Well-Being in Adolescents

6%

25%

9%

18%

24%

13%12%

33%

13%

26%

34%

23%

14%

44%

16%

33%

40%

31%

21%

48%

23%

41%

44%

38%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Grade repetition Low engagementin school

Diagnosed with alearningdisability

Highexternalizing

behavior

Does not staycalm and

controlled

Householdcontacted due to

problems atschool

0 ACEs

1 ACE

2 ACEs

3+ ACEs

Source: Moore, Sacks, Bandy, & Murphey (2014)

NOTE: Parent report data

% o

f St

ud

en

ts

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INCREASED RISK :

DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY OR DISABILITY Increased risk for

• physical abuse

• emotional abuse

• neglect

• restraint and

seclusion

• sexual abuse

• medical procedures

• social rejection

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–Dr. Carl Bell

Question:

Imagine you are working with a preschool teacher or early educator who says that children just need to “leave what’s happening outside of school at the door.”

• What might you say to that person?

WHAT WOULD

YOU SAY?

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What conditions help promote learning and

development?

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Positive, developmental relationships with adults are key to healthy growth across the developmental continuum. Early in life, an infant's relationship with primary caregivers is a critical foundation.

Building Blocks for Learning

SCIENCE GROUNDING

Attachment

The quality of relationships with caregivers can significantly impact a child’s development.

“Attachment” is one way to categorize the quality of key relationships between children and primary caregivers – as seen on the Building Blocks for Learning framework.

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Attunement: An adult’s ability to infer a child’s inner experience, such as feelings, thoughts and needs.

Responsiveness: Reacting appropriately to the child in response to the situation or state of the child at hand.

This critical foundation is built through a series of serve and return interactions that involve the following:

Positive Developmental RelationshipsPositive developmental relationships drive healthy development and learning – they serve as the “active ingredient” in effective interventions (Li & Julian, 2012). Importantly, these relationships help to mitigate the damaging effects of chronic, unbuffered stress for students.

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SAFE,CALM ANDPREDICTABLEENVIRONMENTSCREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT

Dysregulating vs. Co-Regulating Environments

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Source: Mischel, Ebbesen, & Raskoff Zeiss (1972)

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Sources: Mischel, Shoda, & Peake (1988); Mischel, Shoda, & Rodriguez (1989); Shoda, Mischel, & Peake (1990)

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Question(s):

What is standing out to you the most right

now about these conditions that promote

learning and development?

How might learning more about these

conditions help you to think differently about

a student (or caregiver for that matter) who

appears to be struggling to demonstrate a

skill?

WHOLEGROUP

SHARE

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CONTEXTWE CAN CREATE THE

TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIALIN EVERY CHILD

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I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child is humanized or dehumanized.”

- Dr. Hiam Ginott

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Behavior as the Tip of the Iceberg

Q & A !

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RESOURCES

Resources Sample Tools Purpose

1.1 Stress and the Learning Brain

ACEs Research Reflections for Educators

Stress Thermometer

When educators have a deep understanding of how adversity and stress can affect the brain, they create the foundation for supporting whole-child development with a trauma-sensitive lens.

1.2 Building Blocks for Learning

BBFL Paper, Video, & Guiding Questions

School Implications Reflection

When educators understand the intersection between holistic student development and academic performance, they are better equipped to develop the skills and mindsets students need to thrive in school.

Science Syllabus Additional articles, videos, and books

When educators have access to curated scientific literature from multiple fields of research on how children learn and develop, specifically within the context of adversity, they are better able to lead through a trauma-sensitive lens and support others in doing the same.

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https://www.soldalliance.org/

https://www.soldalliance.org/

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