Browsing by Subject "Trauma-Informed Care"

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    Increasing Therapist Knowledge in Trauma-Informed Care
    (2021-05-04) Conrady, Haley; Petrenchik, Terry; Petrenchik, Terry; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Kiel, Holly
    Research surrounding childhood trauma and maltreatment has consistently demonstrated a strong positive correlation between the amount of adverse experiences a child experiences and future physical and mental health consequences, as well as a strong negative correlation between childhood trauma and brain development. Occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech language pathologists work with children that have endured traumatic experiences on a daily basis. As healthcare professionals that work with these children on their development and skill acquisition, it is critical that they understand the negative impacts of childhood trauma and how to implement trauma-informed practices. This program was created with the intention of increasing therapist knowledge and confidence on identifying traumatic experiences and symptoms, the impact on brain development, and how to plan trauma-informed therapy sessions. The content of this training program was created by completing an extensive literature search in order to provide the therapists with evidence-based knowledge and skills. All formal information was provided throughout two in-service presentations. Fourteen therapists were present at both sessions and used a self-reported rating scale to assess their confidence prior to the training and just following. Following the in-service presentations, a 128% increase in confidence was found, with p<.001. Through this training program, the therapists at IU Health Ball Pediatric Rehabilitation gained a basic understanding of the developmental effects of trauma and began to incorporate trauma-informed practices. The results of this study suggest that by providing therapists with two in-service presentations solely dedicated to the effects of childhood trauma and its role in childhood development, their confidence in working with children that have experienced trauma statistically significantly increases.
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    Understanding the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Children at the Boys and Girls Club of Tippecanoe County, Indiana
    (2022-07-29) Zeh, Janie; Thomas, Jordan; Messmore, Niki
    BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Children with multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been shown to be at greater risk for chronic health conditions. Providing Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) to children with ACEs has been linked to better downstream health outcomes. Out-of-school time (OST) programs, such as Boys and Girls Clubs (BGC), can play an important role in supporting children with ACEs. Currently, BGC of Tippecanoe County does not require staff or volunteers to participate in training on ACEs or TIC. This study aims to determine the number of ACEs that children at BGC experience, and subsequently if training for staff and volunteers should be required. METHODS: An anonymous survey was developed using a template from ACEs Aware. The survey included ten ACEs questions and nine Related Life Events questions (considered additional ACEs in this study). An optional demographics section was also included. Caregivers of children at BGC were asked to participate. Staff and volunteers were also surveyed regarding their history of training in TIC. RESULTS: A total of 64 surveys were distributed to parents and 52 were completed (81.3% response rate). Of the completed surveys, the mean number of ACEs experienced per child was 4.6, the median was 3, and the mode was 2. The maximum number of ACEs experienced by a child was 14. Fifty percent of the staff and volunteers surveyed (n = 18) had no formal TIC training. Further data analysis is still in progress. CONCLUSION AND POTENTIAL IMPACT: Children who attend BGC may experience on average a higher number of ACEs than the general population. Requiring training on ACEs and TIC for staff and volunteers may help better identify and respond to child behaviors linked to ACEs. Helping children feel safe and empowered through TIC provided at OST programs may have a positive impact on their physical and social health.