What is Adverse Childhood Experiences

This chapter examines the effect of trauma on brain development and the subsequent impact in the academic setting. Childhood trauma is overwhelmingly common and has repeatedly been noted to have serious detrimental effects on children's developmental trajectories. Adolescents with trauma histories have a number of affected skills of which educators need to be especially aware. These skills include learning, memory, executive function, and emotion regulation. Fortunately, educators have a number of instructional practices at their disposal to help children with trauma histories, including classroom-level strategies like stimulus variation and structure and routine, coupled with high expectations. It is suggested that trauma-informed practices be implemented at the classroom and school-wide levels.