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REPORT Traumatized children can't learn For some students, being traumatized is a constant state of mind. They can't turn it off when they enter the classroom. It has an impact on everything they do in school, including their ability to concentrate and the way in which they interact with teachers and fellow classmates. Unfortunately, these students are part of a growing phenomenon. The RAND Corporation reports that between 20 and 50 percent of American children are traumatized by experiencing violence within their homes, schools and communities. While violence affects those from all ethnic and socioeconomic groups, the burden tends to fall disproportionately on urban, poor, minority and immigrant populations. Refugees from war-torn or violence-ridden countries are sometimes shocked to discover that the safe haven they sought in the U.S. does not exist in some crime-plagued neighborhoods. “Although exposure to community violence may be a larger problem in poor and urban areas, studies have shown that children from all types of communities across the country are exposed to violence that their parents and teachers aren't aware of,” says Lisa Jaycox, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND who has helped develop a program to counteract the effect of violence on students. In children and teens, exposure to traumatic events has been associated with a variety of psychiatric conditions, especially Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which has symptoms that include hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, difficulty sleeping, poor memory, lack of concentration, irritability, anger and depression. More than 20 years of studies have confirmed that school-age children and adolescents can experience the full range of post-traumatic stress reactions that are seen in adults. Exposure to violence is also associated with lack of hope for the future, increased instances of substance abuse and behavioral problems. Even if they don't develop PTSD, children exposed to violence are more likely to show decreased IQ and reading ability, lower school performance, a lower grade-point average, more days of school absence, decreased rates of high school graduation and problems with aggression. Because traumatized students find it difficult to focus on what's going on in the classroom, they are frequently misdiagnosed as having learning disorders such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), say those who study the effect of trauma on youth. “There are a number of important initiatives trying to reduce violence among youth, but prevention programs only address part of the problem,” says Jaycox. The impact that violence can have on children, not only on their social-emotional development but also on their ability to reach their potential in the classroom, is far less recognized. “There's an enormous number of traumatized kids these days,” says Jan Murdock, a psychologist at Sylmar High School in the San Fernando Valley and a member of United Teachers Los Angeles. “I see it all the time. This is a poor area that has experienced a rapid growth in gangs. Some parents are ex-gang members, and there is a tremendous amount of drug and alcohol abuse by parents. And along with that comes sexual and physical abuse. A lot of kids have been bullied and picked on and are afraid. And their fears are very real. “When I was growing up there was big concern that somebody would push a button and start a nuclear war. These kids know they can literally be killed because they looked at someone the wrong way.” The epidemic of traumatized students is not limited to urban areas. “We have a high percentage of kids in Lake County whose parents are incarcerated,” says Jacque Kornelsen, a counselor and educational planning specialist at Oak Hill Middle School in Clear Lake. “Meth is a problem here. When you get off the main roads, you see the conditions that most of the kids live in - run-down trailers with holes in the wall, or no heat, water or electricity. A lot of times these kids are responsible for getting themselves up and off to school, because their parents are still sleeping. Domestic violence occurs on a regular basis. There are a huge number of sex offenders who live in this county, and most kids come from broken families.” “Traumatized kids have a lot of anger problems,” observes Kornelsen, a member of the Konocti Education Association. “Kids get set off and angry about something that is not in proportion to the event. There is a high rate of marijuana use and drinking. And kids get involved in sexual behavior early.” Research shows that trauma has an impact on how students process information. Following a traumatic incident, survivors may become “frozen” in an activated state of arousal — either a heightened state of alert or a persistent fear for one's own safety, notes William Steele, director of the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, based in Michigan. Living in this state can impact cognitive and behavioral functions of the brain and make it more difficult to process information. In comparison, says Steele, “anyone who has had to see a physician for a potentially life-threatening condition may remember very little of what the physician says. If a student who has been traumatized remains in an aroused state of fear and finds it difficult to process verbal information, it then becomes difficult to follow directions, to recall what was heard, to make sense out of what is being said.” Focusing, retaining and recalling verbal information become very difficult, he says. Primary learning functions can be altered during or immediately following traumatic exposure, “and for some, it continues unrecognized for long periods.” Researchers have linked negative life events to cognitive impairment, including poor problem-solving skills, low self-esteem and hopelessness. In addition, stress induces the release of glucocorticoids, such as cortisol, that can damage the brain, increasing memory deficit. When students are suffering from trauma, they may exhibit “survival symptoms” that help them feel they're in control, like aggression, agitation and exaggerated withdrawal. There may also be a loss of small motor activities like being able to unlock a door or make a phone call, along with stuttering and sleeplessness. Children can be easily startled and overly reactive to perceived threats. [See box, page 14.] In some cases, these reactions are misread and students are labeled stubborn, impulsive, overreacting, or, in extreme cases, learning disabled. Unfortunately, the number of traumatized children is increasing at the same time schools are cutting back on counseling services due to budgetary constraints. That's why teachers are supporting Proposition 63 — the Mental Health Services Act — on the November ballot. It would expand comprehensive mental health care to thousands of children, in addition to adults and seniors. California had the highest ratios in the nation for the number of students to school counselors (934:1), psychologists (1,645:1), nurses (2,532:1) and social workers (25,803:1) in 2002-03. Nearly a third of school districts had no counseling program at all. With the layoffs in many school districts this year, the ratios are bound to be even higher, even though studies show that counselors have a strong impact on reducing the effects of violence on student victims and witnesses, assisting victimized students with emotional problems and helping students cope with family problems. What it means is that teachers — already overwhelmed by pressures to meet academic standards and work in overcrowded classrooms — will have to fill the void. While teachers do not have the expertise and training of counselors and psychologists, there are still many things they can do to make things easier for children or adolescents who are traumatized by events beyond their control. [See related story] With vast numbers of children impacted by general community violence, says Jaycox, “it is very important that schools begin to recognize this problem and do something about it.” Children whose trauma-related mental health problems go untreated not only do worse in school in terms of academic performance and relationships with peers, but “there's good evidence that untreated children exposed to trauma may go on to perpetuate the cycle of violence. “The stakes are high.”
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