5 Ways Trauma-Informed Care Supports Children’s Development

Childhood trauma is common. More than two thirds of children in the United States experience a traumatic event or circumstances—such as abuse or neglect, death of a loved one, or community violence—by the time they turn 16. Young children (birth to age five), in particular, are disproportionately exposed to traumatic events and circumstances.

While many children return to normal functioning after a traumatic event, others show symptoms of posttraumatic stress. These children are more likely to suffer harmful long-term consequences, including serious impairments in mental and physical health, when not met with understanding and trauma-appropriate responses from adults.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) encompasses a variety of approaches to working with children exposed to traumatic events or conditions. Research suggests that TIC is associated with considerable benefits for children and their families, including reductions in children’s behavior problems and posttraumatic stress.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF

EXPLORE MORE ARTICLES

What Is a ‘Trauma-Informed’ Juvenile Justice System? A Targeted Approach
Adolescence is a time of great opportunity, but also turmoil. As many as two-thirds of all teens face the additional challenge of coping with traumatic events such as life-threatening accidents, injuries, illness, disaster, or violence or sexual or emotional abuse and exploitation. That figure rises to closer to 100 percent for those who live in …
READ MORE
Health Care Utilization and Costs Associated with Childhood Abuse
Background Physical and sexual childhood abuse is associated with poor health across the lifespan. However, the association between these types of abuse and actual health care use and costs over the long run has not been documented. Objective To examine long-term health care utilization and costs associated with physical, sexual, or both physical and sexual …
READ MORE
Earlier always better? Child development researchers question old assumption
It’s always worth revisiting what we think we know. In recent years, there’s been a trend among early childhood researchers to keep moving the focus to earlier and earlier in children’s lives. The storyline might go something like this: Sure, grade school matters, but we need to think about high-quality preschools to level the playing …
READ MORE