HB U-5 Discussion

As you know from your reading as well as from your own personal experience, middle childhood is a time of slow, but consistent growth where all aspects of a child’s development shift as they transition from early childhood and prepare to move into adolescence. Experiencing traumatic events or living in traumatic environments can greatly impact a child’s development during this time. Some examples of childhood trauma are: psychological, physical, or sexual abuse, community or school violence, witnessing or experiencing domestic violence, national disasters or terrorism, sudden or violent loss of a loved one, refugee or war experiences, military family-related stressors (e.g., deployment, parental loss or injury), physical or sexual assault, neglect and serious accidents or life-threatening illness.

It is critical that human service professionals know how to identify signs of childhood trauma, the impact that it can have, and the actions that can be taken to support children, their families and their communities.

To prepare for this discussion board, watch “We Can Prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)” and then, take the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Test. Be sure to click on “more about your score” when you complete the test.

Please respond to the following:

Discuss your reaction to taking the ACEs test. You do not need to share your score, just discuss your thoughts while taking it and reviewing your score.

What are some examples of traumatic events that children might experience?

Why is it important to recognize trauma in middle childhood?

If you were working with a child who was experiencing trauma, what type of interventions would you suggest, not only for the child and their family, but for their community, as well?