Children from Hard Places in the Classroom

The classroom can be both a challenging and fun place for “children from hard places.” From the array of colors on the walls, to the sounds of children talking and playing, to the scents of dry erase markers and the bumps of little bodies excitedly moving around the classroom, the classroom is a full sensory experience. There are many ways to support learning in children who have struggles in the classroom, read more below. 

When children from hard places are in the classroom, their behavior can puzzle teachers. The teacher might see a child who is overly compliant and “robotically” avoidant. When this child is pushed by an adult to behave a certain way, answer a question, etc., this can cause them to become so dissociative that their behavior can mimic autistic behaviors (i.e. lack of eye contact, becoming mute, “dazed” look on face, non‐responsive). At times, this behavior can look oppositional. In reality, this child’s fear has been triggered and the body is responding with dissociation or “flight.”

• When in the classroom, it is helpful to do things in parallel, rather than face-to-face with children from hard places. Sometimes prolonged eye contact can trigger fear which impedes learning because the child cannot access the parts of the brain needed to learn if he or she is in fight, flight or freeze mode.

• Provide a soothing activity before introducing a new concept in order to help regulate the child for learning. Let child participate in self‐soothing activities he or she enjoys (examples of this might be: chewing gum, rocking, placing a weighted pad on her lap, holding a soft stuffed animal.)

• Give the child learning opportunities slowly in order for true learning to occur.

• Provide the child with a “safe space” in the classroom. This can be as simple as a cardboard box with soothing, soft fabrics or a weighted blanket inside. Make this a space that the child can choose to go to whenever needed for calming (not a punishment.) This will help the child regulate throughout the day and will likely decrease any difficult behaviors prompted by fear or sensory overload.

This information is likely the opposite of most teachers’ approaches to children, but we must remember that children from hard places have brains that are organized differently, so this requires teaching methods to be organized differently. Just remember: less is always more in regard to acquiring cognitive content i.e., learning.

Reference:

Derived or reproduced from training provided (2010) by Dr. Bruce D. Perry of the Child Trauma Academy. http://www.childtrauma.org/