What to Look for as Indicators of Trauma

You are responsible, as a teacher, for reporting any suspicions of student trauma or maltreatment. Are you sure what to look for? Keep reading to learn how to pick up on some of the more subtle signs of trauma in your students. 

A Word About the Signs of Trauma
As with any human behavior, the signs of trauma can be both obvious and subtle. Each individual's response to trauma is unique. Importantly, these "signs" may or may not actually mean that someone is experiencing or has experienced trauma. Regardless, knowing what to look for in your students can help you keep them safe. 

Whether obvious or subtle, signs of trauma typically emerge from two basic sources. One is that students with histories of trauma typically have attachment issues. Another is the need of many trauma-affected students to feel in control of their situation. Lack of control in other parts of their lives may cause them to overcompensate in your classroom. 

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Subtle Signs of Trauma

1. Over-Dependence or Clinginess: Clinginess may be directed at staff or peers. For this to really cause concern, it would be so overt as to become problematic. 
2. Attention Seeking Behaviors: When students have experienced the fear of trauma or the extreme need of neglect, they may be hyper aroused (on high alert). Seeking out attention in negative ways may be their attempt to control the environment. 
3. Over-Attachment to Material Objects: Students with trauma in their backgrounds (or present lives) may have a hard time with the "normal" limits related to material objects. When the sensitivity related to material objects is out of proportion to the actual situation, students may be manifesting insecurity with ownership. Imagine a life in which your access to food and/or possessions is often threatened. That threat is to blame for inappropriate attachments to material objects. 
4. Over-Sensitivity to Fairness Issues: If a student is overly agitated and fixated on what is going on with others or highly sensitive to issues related to fairness, they may have experienced some significant adversity. Living in survival mode can make individuals highly alert to getting their needs met. 

Conclusion
With a life of hyper-vigilance, insecurity with food and possessions, and a lack of control, trauma-affected students may have outward signs of their adverse experiences. As a teacher, if you see students who are overly dependent or fixated on others, who seek attention in negative ways, or who struggle with issues related to material objects, consider researching what the next steps are by looking up your state's statutes related to reporting. 

Here's the video that inspired this post. 
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