Practice: Application of Trauma-Informed Strategies

Maria is a 13-year-old eighth grader. She most often appears disconnected and disinterested. She fidgets, avoids eye-contact, mumbles when adults ask her questions, and mostly doesn’t appear to care about anything. She seems to understand the material and sometimes does well on assignments but refuses to engage with others during the school day. Teachers complain that she often puts her head down and attempts to sleep during class. This gets increasingly frustrating for adults who keep prompting Maria to sit up and engage. These power struggles frequently end with Maria either leaving the classroom or putting her head down for the remainder of the period.

Jamie is a sophomore in high school and is constantly in trouble at school. He has a very short fuse and will quickly become aggressive when adults call him out on his behaviors and set limits. Jamie is particularly confrontational toward male staff. His pattern is often to begin by challenging a teacher during class—either questioning what they are doing or refusing to participate. From there, things often escalate, as Jamie becomes loud, paces around his desk, and is eventually ordered to leave the classroom. Once in the hallway, he becomes disruptive to other classrooms and has a lot of difficulty calming down.

Joshua is a kindergarten student. He acts out in the classroom throwing chairs and books. He also crawls around on the floor during circle time. He yells out at the teacher while she is trying to do circle time. As the teacher tries to redirect him, he begins to cry loudly and hits the teacher. When the teacher tries to restrain him, he becomes more violent and kicks the teacher. He then runs out of the classroom.