I Believe Square Pegs Need Trauma-Sensitive Schools

by: Melissa Sadin At ATN we believe that early childhood trauma and attachment disruption impacts brain development. A study found that children living in an Eastern European orphanage had larger more reactive amygdalae and smaller hippocampal volume than children in the same country that had never been in an orphanage. In addition, the same researchers […]

Stop the Madness – Schools Must Be Trauma Sensitive

by:  Julie Beem I knew it — from the first time this photo and story showed up in my Facebook feed.  The security officer forcefully removed a teenage girl from her math class after she had been using her cell phone — by knocking her chair to the ground.  And then I saw an interview […]

Trauma Informed and The Power of Words

by:  Melissa Sadin The idea that our words have the power to wound might be as old as time itself. In the Bible it is said, “For in many things we offend in word….”  Many of us grew up with the sayings, “Loose lips sink ships” and “If you don’t have anything nice to say, […]

Back to School with Traumatized Students: What Do We Tell New Teachers?

By: Jen Alexander, MA, NCC, RPT It’s back to school time for all of us. It can be overwhelming to think about what to tell this year’s teachers about our children. What’s too much? What’s too little? The answers, of course, are different for everyone, but here are some ideas to think about sharing. Educators […]

Joel Ristuccia: Impact of Trauma on a Child’s Ability to Learn

September 30, 2014 by:  Gari Lister I am delighted to be able to share some thoughts on the very substantive and insightful interview of Joel Ristuccia, Ed.M, from the Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative.  His interview was presented as part of ATN’s Educating Traumatized Children Summit. Joel Ristuccia: Impact of Trauma on […]