A Model for Creating a Supportive Trauma-Informed Culture for Children in Preschool Settings

Cheryl Holmes, Michelle Levy, Avis Smith, Susan Pinne, Paula Neese, Cheryl Holmes, Michelle Levy, Avis Smith, Susan Pinne, Paula Neese

Abstract

The all too common exposure of young children to traumatic situations and the life-long consequences that can result underscore the need for effective, developmentally appropriate interventions that address complex trauma. This paper describes Head Start Trauma Smart (HSTS), an early education/mental health cross-systems partnership designed to work within the child's natural setting-in this case, Head Start classrooms. The goal of HSTS is to decrease the stress of chronic trauma, foster age-appropriate social and cognitive development, and create an integrated, trauma-informed culture for young children, parents, and staff. Created from a community perspective, the HSTS program emphasizes tools and skills that can be applied in everyday settings, thereby providing resources to address current and future trauma. Program evaluation findings indicate preliminary support for both the need for identification and intervention and the potential to positively impact key outcomes.

Keywords: Classroom-based consultation; Early childhood mental health; Early childhood trauma; Head Start; Intervention.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
10 Building blocks for the three ARC core domains
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Conceptual overview of Head Start Trauma Smart

References

    1. Achenbach, T., & Rescorla, L. (2000). An integrated system of multi-informant assessment. Excerpt from Manual for the ASEBA Preschool Forms & Profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families, pp. 74–100. Retrieved from .
    1. Amaya-Jackson L, DeRosa R. Treatment considerations for clinicians in applying evidence-based practice to complex presentations in child trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2007;20:379–390. doi: 10.1002/jts.20266.
    1. Arvidson J, Kinniburgh K, Howard K, Spinazzola J, Strothers H, Evans M, Blaustein M. Treatment of complex trauma in young children: Developmental and cultural considerations in application of the ARC intervention model. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma. 2011;4(1):34–51. doi: 10.1080/19361521.2011.545046.
    1. Blaustein M, Kinniburgh K. Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents: How to foster resilience through attachment, self-regulation, and competency. New York: The Guilford Press; 2010.
    1. Blodgett, C. (2012). Adopting ACES screening and assessment in child serving systems. Working paper. .
    1. Bratton S, Ceballos P, Sheely-Moore A, Meany-Walen K, Pronchenko Y, Jones L. Head Start early mental health intervention: Effects of child-centered play therapy on disruptive behaviors. International Journal of Play Therapy. 2012;22(1):28–42. doi: 10.1037/a0030318.
    1. Briggs-Gowan MJ, Ford JD, Fraleigh L, McCarthy K, Carter AS. Prevalence of exposure to potentially traumatic events in a healthy birth cohort of very young children in the northeastern United States. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2010;23:725–733. doi: 10.1002/jts.20593.
    1. Cohen J, Mannarino A, Deblinger E. Treating trauma and traumatic grief in children and adolescents. New York: Guilford Press; 2006.
    1. Cook A, Spinazzola J, Ford J, Lanktree C, Blaustein M, Cloitre M, van der Kolk B. Complex trauma in children and adolescents. Psychiatric Annals. 2005;35(5):390–398.
    1. Felitti V, Anda R, Nordenberg D, Williamson D, Spitz A, Edwards V, Marks J. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 1998;14(4):245–258. doi: 10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8.
    1. Finkelhor D, Turner H, Ormond R, Hamby S. Violence, abuse, and crime exposure in a national sample of children and youth. Pediatrics. 2009;124:1411–1423. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-0467.
    1. Garro A, Brandwein D, Calafiore T, Rittenhouse N. Understanding and addressing early childhood trauma. Communique. 2011;40(3):21–24.
    1. Ghosh Ippen C, Harris W, Van Horn P, Lieberman A. Traumatic and stressful events in early childhood: Can treatment help those at highest risk? Child Abuse and Neglect. 2011;35:504–513. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.03.009.
    1. Gilliam W. Prekindergarteners left behind: Expulsion rates in state prekindergarten systems. New Haven, CT: Yale University Child Study Center; 2005.
    1. Graham-Bermann S, Castor L, Miller L, Howell K. The impact of intimate partner violence and additional traumatic events on trauma symptoms and PTSD in preschool-aged children. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2012;25:393–400. doi: 10.1002/jts.21724.
    1. Lieberman A, Chu A, Van Horn P, Harris W. Trauma in early childhood: Empirical evidence and clinical implications. Development and Psychopathology. 2011;23:397–410. doi: 10.1017/S0954579411000137.
    1. Lieberman A, VanHorn P. Giving voice to the unsayable: Repairing the effects of trauma in infancy and early childhood. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2009;18(3):707–720. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2009.02.007.
    1. Olafson E, Connelly L. Child abuse assessment strategy and inventories. In: Sperry L, editor. Family assessment: Contemporary and cutting-edge strategies. 2. New York: Routledge; 2012. pp. 265–308.
    1. Osofsky JD, Lieberman AF. A call for integrating a mental health perspective into systems of care for abused and neglected infants and young children. American Psychologist. 2011;66(2):120–128. doi: 10.1037/a0021630.
    1. Perry D, Dallas Allen M, Brennan E, Bradley J. The evidence base for mental health consultation in early childhood settings: A research synthesis addressing children’s behavioral outcomes. Early Education & Development. 2010;21(6):795–824. doi: 10.1080/10409280903475444.
    1. Resource Development Institute . Head Start Trauma Smart 2011–2012 evaluation report. Kansas City: MO: Author; 2012.
    1. Resource Development Institute . Head Start Trauma Smart evaluation report. MO: Author: Kansas City; 2012.
    1. Scheeringa M, Salloum A, Arnberger R, Weems C, Amaya-Jackson L, Cohen J. Feasibility and effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in preschool children: Two case reports. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2007;20(4):631–636. doi: 10.1002/jts.20232.
    1. Shahinfar A, Fox N, Leavitt L. Preschool children’s exposure to violence: Relation of behavior problems to parent and child reports. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 2000;70(1):115–125. doi: 10.1037/h0087690.
    1. Silverman WK, Ortiz CD, Viswesvaran C, Burns BJ, Kolko DJ, Putnam FW, Amaya-Jackson L. Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. 2008;37:156–183. doi: 10.1080/15374410701818293.
    1. Spinazzola J, Ford J, van der Zucker M, Kolk B, Silva S, Smith S, Blaustein M. Survey evaluates complex trauma exposure, outcome, and intervention among children and adolescents. Psychiatric Annals. 2005;35:433–439.
    1. Stallard P. Psychological interventions for post-traumatic reactions in children and young people: A review of randomised controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review. 2006;26:895–911. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2005.09.005.
    1. Stein B, Jaycox L, Kataoka S, Wong M, Tu W, Elliott M, Fink A. A mental health intervention schoolchildren exposed to violence: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;290:603–611. doi: 10.1001/jama.290.5.603.
    1. Swick K, Knopf H, Williams R, Fields M. Family-school strategies for responding to the needs of children experiencing chronic stress. Early Childhood Education Journal. 2013;41(3):181–186. doi: 10.1007/s10643-012-0546-5.
    1. Teachstone. (n.d.). Summary of Toddler and Pre-K CLASS Research. Retrieved from .

Source: PubMed

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

3
Subscribe