Mindfulness-Controlling a Wandering Mind

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anti-anxiety, attention, behavior, early trauma histories, ESPN: The Magazine, meditation, neural pathways, re-enactment, resilience, The New Yorker, Time Magazine

The term mindfulness is receiving a lot of attention– lead articles in the New Yorker (January 29, 2014), Time Magazine (February 3. 2014), and the Huffington Post (February 5, 2014). The Seattle Seahawks even sing its praises in ESPN: The Magazine (April 21, 2013).

It’s a somewhat simple idea – giving one’s full attention to one thing at a time- preferably in the present moment. Sounds easy- until you try it- especially in a multi-tasking world with numerous distractions, and a continuous bombardment of sensory stimulation.

But the truth is, it works. It reduces stress, and promotes feelings of health and well-being. Its benefits are well known. So why the current interest?

Maybe because scientists can now document positive changes in the brain’s neural pathways when people practice mindfulness. These changes occur in areas of the brain associated with attention and memory- important to navigating an increasingly distracting world.

Maybe because so many people are plagued by anxiety and fear. Approximately 1 in 5 Americans take some form of anti-anxiety medication. Others seek more traditional ways of controlling their symptoms using yoga and/or meditation to bring the mind under control. Practitioners learn to use mindfulness techniques to divert the brain’s attention away from nagging concerns, and back to the reality of the present moment.

Whatever the reason for the growing interest in mindfulness, children with early trauma histories are sure to benefit from the trend.

Practicing mindfulness helps children resist the urge to re-enact old trauma. Repeated encouragement and support to remain involved in and attentive to the present moment builds needed resilience. They learn to move beyond old adversities toward a more promising and hopeful future.

ACTing for Children

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academic competency, bearing witness, behavior, Center for Disease Control, childhood adversity, early trauma history, explanatory narrative, National Survey of Children's Mental Health, NatSCEVII, personal agency, positive relationships, self-definition, sense of self, service learning, social competency

The news about our children’s mental health and well-being is chilling. In the last week there are reports that almost half of the nation’s children (34,825,978) have experienced one or more types of severe childhood trauma (National Survey of Children’s Mental Health), 13% to20% of children and youth under 18 years old have diagnosed mental disorders (Center for Disease Control), and at least 10% of the children sampled in the recently released National Survey of Children Exposed to Violence II (NatSCEV II) suffered seven or more different types of victimization within the last year.

It’s not hard to imagine how such high rates of adversity effect children’s learning, behavior, and emotional control. What’s difficult is knowing how to reverse the trend. The Acknowledge, Connect, Teach (ACT) strategy provides some ideas about how to get started.

Acknowledge

Bearing witness to the adversity in children’s lives is not easy. Survivor children are often judged harshly when their behavior puts them at odds with those in authority. Society as a whole prefers to see them as perpetrators not victims, as violent not violated, and as antisocial not anxious. Taking a stand for them requires courage. And a willingness to shift the blame for their failures toward those responsible for their care. Someone needs to speak on their behalf, to ask “what happened to you?” rather than “what did you do?”

Connect

Positive relationships with children begin with showing an interest in who they are. Connections are made when adults listen to children’s stories and cultivate their dreams. Repeated opportunities to collaborate with caring adults give children the support they need to develop their strengths. They grow more confident in their ability to make good choices and try out new behaviors. Though progress is sometimes slow, and relapses common, the long-term commitment of emotionally available adults is an invaluable resource for children struggling to overcome early adversity.

Teach

The ability of children with early trauma histories to achieve social and academic competency is seriously compromised by their diffuse sense of self, and powerless explanatory narrative. Helping them overcome these obstacles requires teaching them how to use their strengths to make a  difference.  Service learning allows children to acquire a more defined self-definition. Their sense of personal agency improves as they observe the impact of their good deeds on other people’s lives. They grow more aware of their ability to respond in caring, respectful ways. This helps them mobilize their inner resources to turn toward the future, trying out new roles, and increasing their capacity to learn.

April is the Month of the Military Child

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aggressive, behavior, community awareness, impulsive, instruction, month of military child, positive behavior support, rigid, stress, trauma-sensitive strategies

We’ve all seen the images on television. The surprise appearance of a military parent returning from war. The grateful hugs and tears of the relieved child. Do you ever think about what happens next? Do you wonder what it’s like to be part of a military family?

Approximately 1.76 million children know the answers to those questions. That’s the number of children in the United States living in military families. They know first hand the cost of service. Some lost a parent. Others live with parents who came home injured or unable to provide for them. Many endure the loneliness of lengthy separations. And the isolation that comes from frequent changes of neighborhood and school.

These children sometimes find it difficult to cope with the challenges of military family life. When this happens, their behavior at school may change. They may be more impulsive or aggressive than usual. Or appear rigid and incapable of compromise. They may find it difficult to complete tasks or sustain interest in classroom activities.

Children from military families need teachers who understand the circumstances of their lives and are willing to lend a hand. Like others struggling with the effects of chronic stress, they benefit from a trauma-sensitive school environment characterized by:

Community Awareness

•  Know the children in your school who having family members serving in the military
•  Know who is caring for the children in military families who attend your school. Grandparents or other guardians care for some children when both parents are deployed or a single parent is deployed.
•  Know the school history of children living in military families. State Standards and Core Curriculum can vary. Be sure there are no gaps in children’s instruction that put them at a disadvantage in your school.
•  Know the vocabulary military families use to describe their status? (pre-deployment, deployment, reintegration, theater, permanent change of station “PCS”,  rest and relaxation “R&R”) Check out http://www.militarykidsconnect.org

Positive Behavior Support

• Anticipate needs
• Follow a predictable schedule
• Provide additional support for transitions, changes in routines or personnel
• Encourage peer collaboration

Trauma-sensitive instruction

• Use on-going assessment of interests, preferences
• Provide activity-based assignments
• Use a small group structure
• Offer frequent opportunities for collaboration and self-reflection

 

The Problem with Rewards

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behavior, behavior management, classroom management, junvenile deliquent, relationshps, rewards, Ross Greene, school failure, self-regulation, substance abuse

Behavior management is always a hot topic among adults who live or work with children. So many theories. So many opinions about the best way to proceed. But here’s the problem. While most are well intended, many don’t work.

Rewards are a good example. They may produce short-term compliance. But they do little to increase children’s ability to regulate or change their behavior.

Why? Because they are based on faulty logic. As Ross Greene likes to say “children do well when they can”.(www.livesinthebalance.org). Nothing is more satisfying to children than the sense of mastery that comes from self–regulation. It helps them reach their goals and “control their destiny.” If the environment is set for success, there is no need for additional reinforcement.

Here’s another problem with rewards. They assume that children understand cause and effect relationships. Many don’t. Repeated experiences of inconsistent care or unpredictable outcomes make it difficult for them to relate behavior to its consequences. They think that rewards and punishments depend more on an adult’s mood than on their effort.

Which is perhaps the most negative effect of rewards. They teach children to look outside themselves for affirmation. This external “locus of control” puts children at risk for a variety of social problems: substance abuse, delinquency, school failure.

Good behavior management encourages children to think for themselves.  It focuses on relationships that nurture children and teach them social skills. Relationships that foster strong alliances between children and emotionally available adults. For most children that’s all the reward they need.

Communicating with Children

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behavior, communication, trauma-sensitive interventions

Communication is a pretty involved process. Think of it as a three-legged stool. The first leg represents all the nonverbal information a speaker wants to convey. The second leg stands for the emotions that accompany what’s being said. The third is the verbal content.

Skilled communicators attend to all three. They are able to interpret what is being said using the additional information provided by the nonverbal messages and emotional tone.  Likewise, they are better able to monitor the emotion and nonverbal information that accompanies what they say.

Chronic stress limits children’s ability to develop good communication skills. Many lack the emotional regulation needed to monitor the affective tone of their interactions with others. They may be unable to correctly interpret nonverbal information, or lack the vocabulary necessary to talk about their interests or experiences.

Instead, they use their behavior to let us know their needs.  It’s important to notice what they are trying to say. And interpret what we are seeing through a trauma-sensitive lens. Remember, children do well when they can.  Repetitive patterns of negative, self-destructive behaviors signal  a child’s cry for help. Don’t let it fall on deaf ears.