Question
What behaviors may be seen in preschool children who have experienced trauma?
Answer
You may see separation anxiety or clinginess towards teachers or primary caregivers in preschool children. Sometimes there is a regression in previously mastered stages of development, including talking, bedwetting, and toileting accidents. There may be a lack of developmental progress that includes children not progressing at the same level as their peers. Children may re-create the traumatic event by repeatedly talking about it, playing it out, or drawing the event. For example, a preschool boy drew his father hitting his mother. Some children may have difficulty at naptime or bedtime, avoiding sleep, waking up, or having nightmares. For some, once they close their eyes, that's what they see. They're not going to want to stay asleep, and they're going to want to fight you to go to sleep. You may also notice increased somatic complaints such as headaches, stomach aches, and overreacting to minor bumps and bruises.
Some children will have changes in behaviors such as increased or decreased appetite, unexplained absences, anger outbursts, decreased attention, or withdrawal. Children may over- or under-react to physical contact, bright lights, sudden movements, or loud noises such as bells, slamming doors, or sirens. You may see increased distress displayed in the child when they are unusually whiny, irritable, and moody. They may show anxiety, fear, and worry about the safety of themselves and others. Worry about the reoccurrence of the traumatic event or new fears, such as fear of the dark, animals, or monsters, may be seen in young children. They may make statements and ask questions about death and dying. Remember that many of these behaviors will cross over between the age groups.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Collective Trauma and Building a Trauma-Informed Culture, presented by Nadia Tourinho, MSW, LICSW, LCSW-C.
