The early years of a child's life are a crucial time for brain development and stress can play a critical role in compromising its development (Zadina, 2014; Zull, 2011). Fink (2019) explains physical and mental stress as being characterized by heightened excitability and arousal, perceived adverse situation, and lack of control. This normal,…

Today's classrooms call for a delicate balance of policy and practice. Early childhood educators are tasked with developing the social, emotional, and academic wellbeing of the children they serve, while also following school, district, and government expectations. Many teachers struggle to effectively teach academic content, given their students'…

This narrative literature review explores language as a precursor for developing children's psychosocial skills in war-torn areas. By utilising Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory, this study aimed to understand the lifelong consequences of early childhood language deprivation in war-stricken zones, thus suggesting intervention strategies to…

Context: Adoption can provide a lifetime of benefits for children. Some adoptions however, experience severe challenges resulting in disruption, with children leaving home prematurely. Method: This qualitative study in Northern Ireland used interviews with parents from thirteen families whose adoptions had disrupted, to explore their perspective…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as childhood maltreatment and household dysfunction, have been linked to adolescent substance use. As a result, there exists a pressing need for trauma-informed, substance use preventive intervention for adolescents with a history of ACEs. The primary aim of this qualitative study is to increase our…

This book is an exploration of story and its importance in early childhood. It provides a thorough theoretical foundation, and considers how to practically implement the use of stories to aid children's wellbeing and holistic development. The chapters cover topics including cognitive and emotional development, creativity, play, mathematics,…

For educators to help children exposed to adverse life experiences, it is necessary to understand how adversity impacts different mechanisms of learning, emotion, and planning as these capacities underpin success in schools and beyond. The goal of this paper is to review essential findings on how early life adversity transforms the brain which, in…

Objective: Childhood trauma is associated with a variety of risky, unhealthy, or problem behaviors. The current study aimed to explore experiential avoidance and mindfulness processes as mechanisms through which childhood trauma and problem behavior are linked in a college sample. Participants: The sample consisted of college-aged young adults…

Vygotsky (1978) describes play as having three main components, one being the ability for a child to create an imaginary situation, the second taking on and acting out roles, and the third, following a set of rules that were determined by the roles children took on during play during social or group settings. Hence, supporting much needed social…

Stressors associated with illness and hospitalization can have long-term adverse effects on young children's development and wellbeing. Professionals who work with young children appreciate the power of children's play for their development as human beings; nonetheless, play is sometimes viewed as inappropriate or unnecessary for children in…

The combination of an art therapist's personal trauma with secondary traumatic stress can lead to compassion fatigue. Inspired by narrative art therapy methods, the author engaged in memoir writing, art responses, authentic movement, and public exhibition. This creative life review identified ways in which her nervous system responses to clients'…

Adults need to recognize and understand the importance of the parent-child relationship in supporting infants and young children who are exposed to traumatic events. All children need the support, security, and safety that come with a consistent, emotionally available relationship. For young children who have a more limited understanding and…

Many children who enter the care system and are subsequently adopted have had exposure to a range of potentially traumatising experiences including domestic violence, abuse, neglect and loss of key caregivers. There are also an increasingly high number of adopted children presenting with the impact of intrauterine exposure to alcohol, drugs and…

Twenty-five percent of U.S. schoolchildren attend a rural school. Yet, rural school issues are typically subsumed by debates focused on urban problems and the misguided notion of ample resources available for their remediation. These assumptions belie the reality of the spatial mismatch that exists for rural schools, especially around mental…

This essay provides a broad overview of adverse childhood experiences and their impact on the middle level learner. The author finds points of intersection between current research on traumatized students and tenets of the middle level philosophy to make the argument for trauma informed practices that holistically serve young adolescents.