Stress & Trauma

Effects on the Developing Adolescent Brain

Creating the capacity for thriving in junior high school requires an investment in student and teacher well-being, however, the prevalence of stress in the educational environment has exacerbated the challenges in meeting this goal. Toxic stress and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) negatively impact adolescent neurological development, creating associated cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioural deficits that increases demands on teachers and can often lead to burnout.

The good news is that, by understanding stress, teachers can develop a more informed approach to interventions and strategies that support students and are better equipped to deal with their own stress response to challenges in the classroom.

The following page describes the impacts of stress on the developing adolescent brain and resources to learn more. For specific strategies on how to buffer the effects of toxic stress and create optimal conditions for learning in your classroom, click here.

Developmental Impact of Trauma

Brain development is more than just biology. Relationships and experiences are key to the developing brain. Watch this video to learn about how early childhood trauma can lead to:

latent vulnerability
social thinning
changes to the reward system
changes in autobiographical memory
increased risk of mental health problems

Reframing Stress

It is not possible to eliminate all stress from our lives. In fact, that would not be beneficial. Good stress, or eustress, creates the conditions for growth and learning by eliciting focus and attention. When stress gets too high, it can impede growth. And when it remains high for too long, it can become toxic. For more information about stress, click here.

Stress and Adolescent Brains

Due to the malleable nature of the adolescent brain, toxic stress can have significant impact on the development. This can lead to social, physical, and mental health conditions into adulthood. To learn more about the impacts of toxic stress on adolescent brain development, and how Junior Highs School teachers can help buffer the affects and create positive spirals, see the resources listed below and click here for specific classroom strategies.

Relationships & Resilience

Support is needed to buffer the effects of toxic stress, particularly in childhood and adolescence. Watch this video to learn more about the effects of stress on brain development and what parents, families, and educators can do to make stress tolerable and support the development of resilience.

The Polyvagal Theory

The biobehavioral shut down response to threatening or stressful conditions, termed The Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges (2017), is an autonomic state manifested by a suppression of the sympathetic system (fight or flight reaction) and the activation of the dorsal vagal (faint, dissociate, shut down reaction).

The same neural networks support social behaviour, emotional regulation, and the stress response system.

This is significant in junior high as it could explain the biological causes of "typical teen behaviour" in the classroom: aggression, avoidance, poor attendance, poor participation, and poor assignment completion. For strategies to support students with these behaviours, click here.

ACEsInfographic_080218.pdf

Recomended Resources

(for more information about the impacts of stress and trauma on the adolescent brain)

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse