Trauma Informed Early Years - Doncaster

Today our 0-60 months and EYFSP moderation teams spent the say at Bradford's Leading Children Ltd. preparing for our coming year. We cannot wait to offer face to face moderation and network events in Doncaster again this term. Please book on via BuyDoncaster.

Disassociation is a nervous system response to emotional pain and overwhelm. These children (and adults) may look switched off, zoned out, disinterested and lacking motivation. Important to consider when responding to this behaviour 💙

A brilliant overview of Polyvagal Theory - how to notice and support children who are showing and internalising feelings and what you can do to help.

This is a really useful resource 🙂

Ever wondered if you have any trauma from your childhood?
Maybe from a big scary, or deeply distressing incident like a car crash.

What about everyday experiences as a baby or young child like being raised by an adult who struggled to notice and meet you emotional needs. Could that be trauma?

All of us have had some brush with trauma which isn't a disaster but is useful to understand as it sheds light on things we do now that seem a bit irrational and are hard to change.

Check out Dr Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey's new book -
What happened to you?

What is childhood trauma? Ever wondered if you have any trauma from your childhood?Maybe from a big scary, or deeply distressing incident like a car crash.What about everyday experien...

Here are some great books that cover infant trauma: connection, attachment, attunement, co-regulation, self regulation, brain development, neuroscience.....

Really helpful information from Adoption UK when looking out for those trauma responses that can often be misinterpreted

We all talk a lot about trauma responses - flight, fight, freeze & fawn but what can these involuntary responses look like?

We all have a typical way that we respond to trauma and we have a secondary or a back-up responses.

We use these responses to help us feel like we are surviving the trauma and sometimes they get very embedded.

When they are embedded, we use them most of the time to avoid any feeling state, not just a traumatic experience.

An interesting article from the NY times, although systems are slightly different to ours in the UK, it is worth a read 🙂

Opinion | A 4-Year-Old Child Is Not a Problem. And Expulsion Is Not a Solution. There is an effective approach to breaking the preschool-to-prison pipeline.

‘Come on, catch up!’ seems to be our Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson’s, current cry. And my voice is one of many saying, ‘Hold on and wait for the kids. They may be strong, but they have little legs and they have been doing their best in tough circumstances.’

Our guest blog, today, comes from Charlotte Jenkins - founder and director of Beacon Family Services, and Theraplay® Therapist.

Charlotte explains how play can help traumatised children regain a feeling of safety and urges the Government to see how children's recovery and well-being are far more important than catching up...
https://www.adoptionuk.org/blog/the-importance-of-play

Crying is important, it has a purpose and in most instances is indicative that something is not feeling quite right for your child. We as adults are sometimes uncomfortable with children crying, maybe we find it distressing ourselves? This leads us to make it want to stop and we can use phrases “stop crying”, or “it’s not worth getting upset about” But this is denying our children the right to express how they feel and may lead them to feel unable to tell us what they are unhappy/scared/angry/confused/overwhelmed about in the future. Instead we need to acknowledge and accept those they feel, thus validating them and their feelings

Children Who Get Hugs Tend to Become Happier Adults | CPTSDfoundation.org Children Who Get Hugs Tend to Become Happier Adults by Alice Kenny | Oct 16, 2020 | ACEs, Complex PTSD Healing, Guest Contributor, The Brain and CPTSD | 0 comments I missed out on hugs and cuddles. My mother, who was mentally ill, did not display affection. In second grade, I walked home from school...

Look, Say, Sing, Play is a set of resources which encourage interaction between parents and their babies.

These brain-building resources are based on the work of Vroom, a US public health initiative that uses the science of early learning to help parents improve back-and-forth interactions with their children.

Look, Say, Sing, Play early years resources to use and share with parents | NSPCC Learning A set of resources to help parents interact with their baby, boosting child development and setting up positive behaviour as their child grows.

Take a look at this really informative article from Famly about attachment theory and how this relates to early years practitioners. It includes many tips and points to help you in reflecting on your own practice. 🙂

What is attachment theory in early childhood? Good baby bonding brings big benefits for years to come. Here's how you can use attachment theory on the day-to-day in your setting.