Graduation Date
Spring 2019
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Education
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Eric Van Duzer
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Claire Knox
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Middle childhood, Adverse childhood experiences, Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, Neuroscience, Observation, Assessment, Past traumatic childhood experiences, Brain development, Child development, Trauma-informed care
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
A variety of studies have been conducted on how trauma, caused by emotional, physical, or verbal abuse, impact children’s lives. Many of the studies which involved observations and assessments were done with the preexisting knowledge that these children had been through a traumatic experience. Instead of looking at behavior of known cases, this study’s goal is to find out whether or not children’s observable behaviors can predict cases of trauma. For example, is acting out or defiance a key sign of trauma or is it part of the typical development for the elementary school-age group? This thesis takes into account three major elements effected by trauma: the brain, behavior, and the learning process. Within this paper, the importance of all three in the case of children and traumatic experiences is explained. Within the research study, behavior is examined by first observing classrooms of nine year-old, elementary school children using certain criteria to predict which of the children might have traumatic backgrounds. Using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-A) to assess and measure posttraumatic stress, the scores of the assessment are compared to the observations, to determine if such correlations can be made between certain behaviors and past traumatic experiences. The purpose of this research is to aid public elementary school staff in understanding how trauma effects children in the classroom and what the results of those effects means for the children’s learning processes.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Aguilar, Aeryn, "Childhood and trauma: The effects of adverse childhood experiences on the brain, behavior, and learning in the elementary school classroom" (2019). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 242.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/242
Included in
Behavioral Neurobiology Commons, Child Psychology Commons, Cognitive Neuroscience Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Elementary Education Commons