Stages of Learning through Trauma
- Foundational Trust and Safety (Birth – Age 2)
- Typical Development: Secure attachment to caregivers; exploration and sensory learning.
- Trauma Impact: Difficulty forming attachments; hypervigilance or withdrawal; delayed speech and motor skills.
- Emotional Regulation and Autonomy (Ages 2–6)
- Typical Development: Beginning of emotional control, early social learning, and language growth.
- Trauma Impact:
- Poor impulse control and extreme emotional responses (fight, flight, freeze).
- Delayed language or cognitive development.
- Increased aggression or extreme passivity.
- Socialisation and Academic Foundations (Ages 6–12)
- Typical Development: Growth in learning, peer relationships, and problem-solving skills.
- Trauma Impact:
- Difficulty focusing or processing information (due to a chronically activated stress response).
- Problems with authority figures and rules.
- Underachievement or learning disabilities may be misdiagnosed.
- Identity and Independence (Adolescence, Ages 12–18)
- Typical Development: Development of identity, abstract thinking, and self-regulation.
- Trauma Impact:
- Risk-taking or self-destructive behavior.
- Struggles with self-worth or identity confusion.
- Challenges in planning, organizing, and managing emotions—often misinterpreted as defiance.
- Healing and Re-learning (Variable – Trauma-Informed Interventions)
- What This Stage Involves:
- Rebuilding trust and emotional safety.
- Developing coping strategies.
- Engaging in consistent, supportive relationships and trauma-informed educational settings.
- Brain plasticity allows for reorganization and recovery with the right support.
Key Principles in Supporting Trauma-Affected Learning:
- Safety (emotional and physical).
- Predictability and routine.
- Regulation before instruction: Calming the stress response before expecting academic focus.
- Relationship-based approaches: Stable, supportive adults can help children rebuild trust.