Notas del episodio
When Trauma Shows Up at the School Door
What happens when a child walks into school carrying something no one else can see?
Trauma doesn’t stay at home. It can show up in the classroom through difficulty concentrating, changes in behavior, withdrawal, anxiety, anger, exhaustion, or a sudden struggle with school attendance. Sometimes what looks like defiance, disengagement, or truancy may actually be a child trying to navigate something overwhelming.
In this episode of Dragonfly Moments: Conversations That Matter, we’re talking about what happens when trauma shows up at the school door—and why the question we ask matters.
Instead of simply asking, “What’s wrong with this student?” what if we paused to ask, “What happened, and what might this child need right now?”
I’ll connect this conversation to my doctoral research on the relationship between trauma and school attendance, including findings from my dissertation, Impact of Trauma on Truancy, which examined the connection between adverse childhood experiences, post-traumatic stress, and school attendance.
We’ll also explore Handle With Care Missouri, a trauma-informed initiative that creates a bridge between law enforcement, schools, and mental health providers. When a child is exposed to a potentially traumatic event involving law enforcement, the school can receive a confidential notification so educators know to respond with additional awareness and trauma-sensitive support.
Because sometimes a child doesn't need another consequence.
Sometimes they need someone to notice.
Someone to understand.
Someone to handle them with care.
📚 Read my dissertation: Impact of Trauma on Truancy — Teri J. Hargrave
💙 Learn more about Handle With Care Missouri: Handle With Care Missouri
A reminder: This podcast is for education, reflection, and conversation. I am not a clinician, therapist, or counselor, and the thoughts and information shared are my own and are not associated with any organization I am affiliated with.