Courtesy of Kid Tips Magazine

Behavioral Responses To Trauma Found In Children

5 Years and Younger

• Feelings of helplessness and passivity
• Regressive symptoms occur
• Denial of disturbing events
• Re-enactment through art and play with traumatic themes
• Nightmares

6 Years through 11 Years

• Clear thinking is reduced
• Fantasy plans of action increase
• Phobic responses
• Personality changes
• Obsessive re-enactment of the event
• Nightmares

12 Years through 17 Years

• Detachment, shame, guilt
• Post-traumatic acting out behavior
• Life-attitude changes (loss of interest)
• Behaving as an adult who can take care of themselves without adult help (pseudo maturity)

If you find that your child demonstrates some of the above responses and continues to be unable to move past the trauma within a few months time, a referral to a mental health professional is recommended to help your child work through the traumatic event.

Psychological Trauma Center Affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Article reproduced with permission from Marianne Szymanski.