Trauma Responsive De-Escalation

Externalizing behaviors in the classroom and their connection to trauma are at the top of most educators’ concerns. Children who have experienced trauma may express their distress through acting-out behaviors that can derail instruction and compromise classroom safety.

When the underlying cause of acting-out behaviors is trauma, what appears to be intentional disruption of the learning environment may be due to the student feeling a lack of emotional, psychological, or physical safety. Puni...