Behaviour as Communication: Supporting Traumatised Children and Adolescents to Learn to Regulate their own Emotions and Behaviour

Content Summary: 

Children and adolescents who have endured trauma in the form of attachment disruption or rupture, as well as neglect and/or or direct abuse, can present behaviour which is both puzzling and challenging. With such children, the presenting behaviour is often the manifestation of primitive brain mechanisms which are in a constant state of fear and easily triggered into a defensive reaction of fight, flight or freeze/shutdown. For these children basic behaviour management techniques and interventions on their own are inadequate, often ineffective and sometimes harmful.

However, adults are often at a loss for solutions in responding to the child’s challenging behaviour. On integrating the latest research on the impact of trauma on children’s developing brains and behaviour, it is no longer appropriate to talk about behaviour management when responding to traumatised children. Rather behaviour is addressed within the context of a safe and supportive relationship with caregivers so that children can abandon many of the self-protective behaviours they adapted in order to survive the extremely challenging environments they have experienced. Responding to a child’s challenging behaviour using a relational approach will also help the child to learn the self-control and capacity for reflection necessary to manage and regulate their own emotions and behaviour.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this course you can learn:

• why traditional behaviour management strategies are not adequate or effective and may even be harmful for traumatised children
• the concept of ‘Behaviour as a Communication’
• how blocked trust and a lack of unconditional love affects a traumatised child’s functioning and behaviour
• about emotional dysregulation, the “window of emotional tolerance” and behavioural manifestations of emotional triggers
• shame versus guilt and how shame can impede reflecting on accepting the consequences of behaviour
• about the importance of rupture and repair in supporting the development of resilience in traumatised children
• how to intervene effectively with co-regulation to prevent escalation and to calm a distressed child or adolescent
• practical strategies of emotional communication to connect with the child in responding to challenging behaviour in a way that will empower the caregiver and effectively deescalate the high emotional arousal of children who struggle to self-regulate their emotions and behaviour
• the value of natural and relational consequence rather than punishment to support a child’s learning from the negative aspects of their behaviour

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