Transcript CHILDREN IN CHAOS The Impact of Substance Abuse and

CHILDREN IN CHAOS
Identifying and Assisting Young Children
Living in Substance-Abusing Families
David Love, MFT
Valley Community Counseling Services
Stockton, CA
[email protected]
CHILDRENS’
POTENTIAL
• Any newborn is prepared to learn all
the languages on the planet.
• They are prepared to be composers,
artists, scientists, . . .
• They can learn sign language 8-12
mos. before they can speak.
Making the Connection:
Children in Chaos
PRIMARY TRAUMA
IN CHILDREN*
 Each year 5 million children in U.S.
experience an extreme traumatic event
 40% will develop some form of chronic
neuro-psychiatric problem
 Most problems classified as anxiety
disorders with post-traumatic stress
disorder being most common
 Trauma event will impair emotional,
academic and/or social functioning
*B.D. Perry(1999)
CHILD MALTREATMENT IS LEADING
CAUSE OF TRAUMA-RELATED DEATH FOR
CHILDREN UNDER FIVE*
• Two-thirds occur at hands of parents
under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• 51% victims of abuse
• 44% victims of neglect
• 5% multiple forms
*CASA
CHILDREN OF
SUBSTANCE- ABUSING
PARENTS*
• 2.7 times more likely to be physically
or sexually abused
• 4.2 times more likely to be neglected
• Children also significantly more likely
to be abused by others
*CASA
PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO
STIMULANT DRUGS VS
HOME ENVIRONMENTS*
• Cognitive Problems-Related strongly to
chaotic home environment
• Behavioral Problems-Related to prenatal
exposure to stimulant drugs
*Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D.
The Impact of
Family Chaos on
Brain
Development in
Children
Impact of Stress on Brain Development
NORMAL
2:1 ratio
TRAUMA
Cortical Modulation Ratio
~1:1 ratio
Adverse Childhood Experiences Study
Vincent J. Fellitti, MD
The largest study of its kind ever done to
examine the health and social effects of
adverse childhood experiences
(n=17,000 adults; RR=70.5%)
Death
Disease & Social
Problems
Adoption of Health-Risk
Behavior
Social, Emotional &
Cognitive Impairment
Disruption of Neurodevelopment
Adverse Childhood Experiences
POPULATION ATTRIBUTABLE RISK
(Per cent attributable to ACE)


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



Alcoholism – 65%
Drug Abuse – 50%
IV Drug Abuse – 78%
Current Depression – 54%
Chronic Depression – 41%
Sexual Assault – 62%
Domestic Violence – 52%
THE ORIGINS OF ADDICTION
Vincent Felitte, MD
Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program
“The major factor underlying addiction is
adverse childhood experiences that have not
healed with time and that are overwhelmingly
concealed from awareness by shame, secrecy
and social taboo.”
UNDERSTANDING
TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN
The Pathway of Fear in the Brain
Amygdala
 Brain’s
rapid
response
system to
fear that
sends the
body into
high alert
Pathway of Fear in the Brain
Hippocampus
• Processing and
storing information
• Evaluate threats by
putting them into
context of previous
experiences
Thinking Through Fear
FRONTAL CORTEX
•Reins in the amygdala
and calms the body if
the threat is determined
to be insignificant
UW Extension, 2006
SYMPTOMS OF CHILDHOOD
TRAUMA
 Attachment Problems
 Alcohol and Drug
Abuse
 Depression
 Suicidal Behavior
 Anxiety Disorders
 Violent Behavior
 Mood Disorders
 Behavioral Problems
CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND
NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS
Post-traumatic
Stress Disorder
Complex Trauma
ADD-ADHD
Dissociative
Disorders
Conduct Disorders
Implications for Learning
 Traumatized children often spend so much time in the
lower level brain in a state of persisting fear that they
consistently focus on non-verbal vs. verbal cues
 May be very intelligent but can’t learn easily
must do verbal learning when calm
 Learning needs to be more experience-based  when
traumatized children are stressed they are reactive/
reflexive vs. accessing cognitive solutions
“Too Scared to Learn…”
Children who do not
feel safe live in a state
of emergency. Their
energy is consumed by
crises, making it
impossible for them to
focus on learning to
read.
-“Too Scared to Learn”
by Jenny Horsman, 2000
INTERVENTION
TREATMENT
Specialized Programs
Pre-school
 K-3
 K-6
 Clinic-based

ASSESSMENT TOOLS

Parent Stress Index (PSI)

Addiction Severity Index (ASI)

Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children
(TSCC) (TSCYC)
SUPPORTING TRAUMATIZED
CHILDREN-Interventions
Parenting Skills for Caretakers of
Traumatized Children
Socialization Skills for Children
PARENT EDUCATION
Must understand the developmental needs
of their children
 Must recognize the damage the
environment is doing to their children
 Must learn how to provide a safe
environment for their children and make
the changes to accomplish the goal

SOCIALIZATION SKILLS FOR
CHILDREN
Must gain age appropriate developmental
skills
 Must be able to function in social
environments
 Must gain balance between chronological,
emotional and cognitive development.

SUPPORTING TRAUMATIZED
CHILDREN-Treatment
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral
Therapy (CBT)
Trauma-Focused Play Therapy
COMMUNITY RESOUCESPrevention, Intervention &
Treatment
California Victims of Crime Program
CHAT Centers
Human Service Agency
Mental Health
First 5
WEBSITES
www.zerotothree.com (zero to three
www.musc.edu/cvc (Child Abuse Tx Manual)
www.childtrauma.org (Child Trauma Academy)
www.apsac.org (American Professional Society on
the Abuse of Children)
www.calib.com/nccanh/ (National Clearinghouse on
Child Abuse and Neglect Information)
www.casacolumbia.org (Columbia University)
www.johnbriere.com