Trauma leaves marks on young children
(via AFT) We already know intuitively that a child’s learning begins with trust, and that often, trust first requires healing. Two experts on that process—one on why, and the other on how—spoke with educators during a July 20 TEACH session on children’s well-being.
Michael Lamb, a former teacher and executive director of Turnaround for Children in Washington, D.C., offered a primer on brain function, while Jeff Duncan-Andrade, a teacher in Oakland, Calif., and an associate professor at San Francisco State University, discussed reversing childhood trauma.
Adversity doesn’t just “happen” to children, said Lamb. It affects their brains and bodies, causing trauma. He spoke of cortisol, a hormone that drives panic attacks, and described three parts of the brain: the amygdala for emotional regulation and reactivity; the hippocampus for learning and memory; and the prefrontal cortex, which regulates executive function, self-regulation and attention. Read more on the AFT website
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