2.8 Childhood and the window of tolerance

Self-care booklet

The course also emphasises the value of looking after yourself and knowing where to find further help and support for anyone who needs it.

You may find this self-care booklet [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   useful.

The nervous systems of children are more easily influenced than those of adults, as they are still in the process of developing.

As a result, even being in an environment where there is tension, or being left to manage difficult feelings alone, can trigger the range of five F responses. We need to be aware that this type of activation of the nervous system is a helpful and natural survival response to manage physical, mental and emotional overwhelm.

However, when certain ways of coping become habitual and continued, even when there is no ongoing threat, they can be unhelpful, especially as learned coping mechanisms as a child can impact on our ways of coping throughout our lives.

In the interactive table below are eight examples of how children affected by trauma may respond.

Click on each number to learn more.

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Talking over a teacher to get their point across. Throwing themselves into schoolwork or extracurricular activities to avoid feeling the sadness of family issues. Spending hours playing video games or watching TV when feeling anxious. Being overly compliant and flattering towards a strict or critical teacher. Detaching themselves or zoning out during crowded and noisy school events. Fidgeting lots and appearing restless. Finding it difficult to focus on too much verbal information and becoming easily distracted. Demonstrating extreme mood swings during the day/week.

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The following video (Freud, 2020) explains how trauma can affect children and the way that they might respond in different situations.

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Activity 1: The stages of the trauma response

In this activity, you’ll order the stages of the trauma response to understand how automatic reactions to stress impact thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This is based upon the three Es of trauma which you have learned about (event, experience and effect).

Let's apply this concept to the case study of Jemma. She is a young person with a history of trauma who moved homes, communities, and schools several times within the care system. Jemma’s background and journey give insight into how continued exposure to stressors can affect daily interactions and relationships.

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This step-by-step sequence helps highlight how our bodies react to and recover from trauma by using the three Es of trauma framework.

Understanding these responses can make us more mindful in daily interactions where recognising the signs of trauma and stress in others is essential.

Now that we have begun to look at trauma and the different responses individuals may have in relation to traumatic experiences, we can see how important it is for all of us, particularly when interacting with children and young people, to have a keen sense of how our own reactions might have a further and hopefully more positive impact.

2.7 Window of tolerance

2.9 Trauma-informed principles