Module 3: Identifying Trauma in Children

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Trauma is often misdiagnosed in children

! ADHD ! Depression ! Bipolar disorder ! Learning problems ! Willful opposition ! Anxiety

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The PTSD triad

INTRUSIVE thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks

+ negative thoughts/moods/feelings

AROUSAL & ANXIETY

AVOIDANCE & NUMBING

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What are some of the behaviors?

! Passive/compliant ! Withdrawn/disconnected

! Anxious/on edge ! Aggressive

! Moody ! Easily distracted ! Easily enraged ! Perfectionistic

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More examples . . .

! Loss of previously-acquired skills (especially toileting) ! Fear of separation ! Sleep problems & nightmares without recognizable

content ! Somber, compulsive play with traumatic themes

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More examples in children . . .

! Phobias & anxieties ! Acting out trauma through play, stories, or

drawings

! Aches & pains with no apparent cause

! Irritability, aggression, & tantrums

! Withdrawal & “zoning out”

! Inner dialogue with phantom selves or alter personalities

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Over-arousal

Stuck in a hyper-vigilant state:

! Fidgety

! Anxious

! Unable to concentrate

! Overly reactive

! Aggressive

! Unpredictable

! Angry Blocks unwanted thoughts & memories

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Under-arousal

! Decreased activity ! Decreased alertness ! Flat or absent emotions ! Difficulty achieving mental & physical goals

Blocks unwanted thoughts & memories

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