children in chaos identifying and assisting young children living in substance-abusing families...
TRANSCRIPT
CHILDREN IN CHAOSCHILDREN IN CHAOSIdentifying and Assisting Young Identifying and Assisting Young
Children Living in Substance-Abusing Children Living in Substance-Abusing
FamiliesFamilies
CHILDREN IN CHAOSCHILDREN IN CHAOSIdentifying and Assisting Young Identifying and Assisting Young
Children Living in Substance-Abusing Children Living in Substance-Abusing
FamiliesFamilies
David Love, MFTDavid Love, MFTValley Community Counseling Valley Community Counseling
ServicesServicesStockton, CAStockton, CA
[email protected]@vccsinc.org
CHILDRENS’ POTENTIAL
• Any newborn is prepared to learn all the languages on the planet.
• They are prepared to be composers, artists, scientists, . . .
• They can learn sign language 8-12 mos. before they can speak.
Making the Connection: Making the Connection: Children in ChaosChildren in Chaos
Making the Connection: Making the Connection: Children in ChaosChildren in Chaos
DomesticDomestic
ViolenceViolence
SubstanceSubstance
abuseabuse
Elder AbuseElder Abuse
Child Abuse Child Abuse
and Neglectand Neglect
Sibling AbuseSibling Abuse
IncestIncest
*B.D. Perry(1999)
PRIMARY TRAUMAIN CHILDREN*
Each year 5 million children in U.S. experience an extreme traumatic event
40% will develop some form of chronic neuro-psychiatric problem
Most problems classified as anxiety disorders with post-traumatic stress disorder being most common
Trauma event will impair emotional, academic and/or social functioning
CHILD MALTREATMENT IS LEADING CAUSE OF TRAUMA-RELATED DEATH
FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE*
• Two-thirds occur at hands of parents under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• 51% victims of abuse• 44% victims of neglect• 5% multiple forms *CASA
CHILDREN OF SUBSTANCE- ABUSING
PARENTS*• 2.7 times more likely to be physically
or sexually abused
• 4.2 times more likely to be neglected
• Children also significantly more likely to be abused by others
*CASA
PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO STIMULANT DRUGS VS HOME ENVIRONMENTS*
• Cognitive Problems-Related strongly to chaotic home environment
• Behavioral Problems-Related to prenatal exposure to stimulant drugs
*Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D.
The Impact of Family Chaos on
Brain Development in
Children
2:1 ratio
NORMAL TRAUMA
~1:1 ratioCortical Modulation Ratio
Impact of Stress on Brain DevelopmentImpact of Stress on Brain Development
Adverse Childhood Experiences StudyAdverse Childhood Experiences StudyVincent J. Fellitti, MD
The largest study of its kind ever done to examine the health and social effects of adverse childhood experiences (n=17,000 adults; RR=70.5%)
Death
Disease & Social Problems
Adoption of Health-Risk Behavior
Social, Emotional & Cognitive Impairment
Disruption of Neurodevelopment
Adverse Childhood Experiences
POPULATION ATTRIBUTABLE RISK(Per cent attributable to ACE)
Alcoholism – 65% Drug Abuse – 50% IV Drug Abuse – 78% Current Depression – 54% Chronic Depression – 41% Sexual Assault – 62% Domestic Violence – 52%
THE ORIGINS OF ADDICTIONVincent Felitte, MDKaiser Permanente Medical Care Program
“The major factor underlying addiction is
adverse childhood experiences that have not
healed with time and that are overwhelmingly
concealed from awareness by shame, secrecy
and social taboo.”
UNDERSTANDING
TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN
Brain’s Brain’s rapid rapid response response system system to fear to fear that that sends sends the body the body into into high high alertalert
Amygdala
The Pathway of Fear in the BrainThe Pathway of Fear in the Brain
Pathway of Fear in the Brain
Hippocampus
• Processing and storing information
• Evaluate threats by putting them into context of previous experiences
UW Extension, 2006
Thinking Through FearThinking Through Fear
FRONTAL CORTEXFRONTAL CORTEX
•Reins in the amygdala Reins in the amygdala and calms the body if and calms the body if the threat is determinedthe threat is determined to be insignificantto be insignificant
SYMPTOMS OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA
Attachment Problems
Depression
Suicidal Behavior
Anxiety Disorders
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Violent Behavior
Mood Disorders
Behavioral Problems
Child Abuse
CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Complex TraumaADD-ADHDDissociative
DisordersConduct Disorders
Implications for LearningImplications for Learning
Traumatized children often spend so much time in the lower level brain in a state of persisting fear that they consistently focus on non-verbal vs. verbal cues
May be very intelligent but can’t learn easilymust do verbal learning when calm
Learning needs to be more experience-based when traumatized children are stressed they are reactive/ reflexive vs. accessing cognitive solutions
““Too Scared to Learn…”Too Scared to Learn…”
Children who do not feel safe live in a state of emergency. Their energy is consumed by crises, making it impossible for them to focus on learning to read.
-“Too Scared to Learn” by Jenny Horsman, 2000
INTERVENTION
TREATMENT
Specialized Programs
Pre-school K-3 K-6 Clinic-based
ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Parent Stress Index (PSI)
Addiction Severity Index (ASI)
Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) (TSCYC)
SUPPORTING TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN-Interventions
Parenting Skills for Caretakers of Traumatized Children
Socialization Skills for Children
PARENT EDUCATION
Must understand the developmental needs
of their children Must recognize the damage the
environment is doing to their children Must learn how to provide a safe
environment for their children and make the changes to accomplish the goal
SOCIALIZATION SKILLS FOR CHILDREN
Must gain age appropriate developmental skills
Must be able to function in social environments
Must gain balance between chronological, emotional and cognitive development.
SUPPORTING TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN-Treatment
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Trauma-Focused Play Therapy
COMMUNITY RESOUCES-COMMUNITY RESOUCES-Prevention, Intervention & Prevention, Intervention &
TreatmentTreatment
California Victims of Crime ProgramCalifornia Victims of Crime Program
CHAT CentersCHAT Centers
Human Service AgencyHuman Service Agency
Mental HealthMental Health
First 5First 5
WEBSITESWEBSITESwww.zerotothree.com (zero to three
www.musc.edu/cvc (Child Abuse Tx Manual)
www.childtrauma.org (Child Trauma Academy)
www.apsac.org (American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children)
www.calib.com/nccanh/ (National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information)
www.casacolumbia.org (Columbia University)
www.johnbriere.com