What survival looks like in school – a resource for understanding children with trauma or sensory processing difficulties

An easy to read booklet to help professionals and parents who come into contact with children living with trauma or SPD.

The behaviours of trauma and/or SPD are easily misunderstood and can be interpreted incorrectly.  This simple to follow booklet helps provide an overview on the emotional turmoil children are feeling, and how they are displayed through different types of behaviour; such as the protection of survival states

• fight

• flight

• freeze

• submission.

This booklet provides solution's to try to resolve and importantly an awareness on how to support a child.

It also allows us, as professionals and parents, to problem solve and hopefully develop the secure environment a child with trauma requires; to encourage positive attachments or, with sensory processing difficulties, the opportunity to become regulated.

If over time the solutions are not working, we advise parents and professionals to contact those professionals who have a health professional background i.e. Occupational Therapists who have further studied  trauma as well as sensory processing.

These specialists will assess to understand what else is going on. They will identify how to approach working and possibly treating the child, to over come or lessen the impact trauma and/or SPD are having on their every day living, functional performance and learning.