At Nexus Family Healing, we are experts in trauma related to youth and family mental health.
Trauma is pervasive and has a broad and diverse impact, and deeply affects how the youth we serve approach the services we provide. If done incorrectly, social services can re-traumatize or further harm those they are trying to help, which is why being trauma-informed is so crucial in every part of social services.
For children, trauma and the aftereffects such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can look different than in adults. Not every child who experiences a traumatic event will develop trauma, but it is important for parents and caregivers to watch for signs in youth so they receive a proper diagnosis. Often PTSD can be misdiagnosed as another behavioral problem.
As a reminder, a traumatic event is any event that threatens the life or physical integrity of a person or someone very important to them. Traumatic events are generally occupied by physiological arousal (so flight, fight, or freeze).
Traumatic Stress and PTSD
Traumatic stress refers to the physical and emotional responses of a child to threatening situations, which are normal responses to a traumatic event. These situations can overwhelm a child’s ability to cope. The problem is when a child’s reaction to stress begins to interfere with everyday life and behavior, and negatively impacts a child’s development and everyday function.
PTSD Looks Different in Children
Many children who suffer from childhood stress never receive a PTSD diagnosis, instead they can be mistakenly diagnosed with:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
- Conduct Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
While these diagnoses can be helpful, they often don’t fully capture all the mental health needs of children and can unfortunately lead to ineffective treatment.
Trauma and School Performance
A common way traumatic stress can impact children is in their school performance. Some signs that caregivers, parents, mental health professionals and teachers can watch for in children are:
- poor performance in school, with a decreased IQ and reading ability
- attention deficits and struggles with long-term memory
- higher rate of absences from school and a higher likelihood to drop out
- higher amounts of behavioral issues, resulting in suspension or expulsion from school
How to Help
The brain develops by forming connections, so repeated positive interactions children have with caregivers is critical for brain development – as the more an experience is repeated, the stronger the connections are.
Remember when working with children who have experienced trauma, it is never too late. Children can learn new ways of thinking, relating, and responding; and unlearning harmful behaviors and rebuilding strong, healthy ones takes time and patience.
Nexus Family Healing is a national nonprofit mental health organization that restores hope for thousands of children and families who come to us for community mental health services, foster care and adoption, and residential treatment. For over 50 years, our network of agencies has used innovative, personalized approaches to heal trauma, break cycles of harm, and reshape futures. We believe every child is worth it — and every family matters. Access more resources at nexusfamilyhealing.org/resources.