“Understanding infant mental health is the key to preventing and treating the mental health problems of very young children and their families. It also helps guide the development of healthy social and emotional behaviors. Learn more about infant mental health and how important trusted relationships are for infants and children.”
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Following is an excerpt from my latest book project, I Worry About The Kids, a workbook for parents, teachers, and mentors…
No child of any age should have to live anywhere that is not wholesome, safe, secure, and surrounded by loving human beings!
According to the Handbook of Infant Mental Health, general symptoms of post-traumatic stress in young children can include:
- Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive and distressing recollections of the event through flashbacks, and nightmares (Note: Spontaneous and intrusive memories may not necessarily appear distressing and may be expressed as play reenactment.)
- Avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma, and emotional numbness.
- Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.
- Increased anxiety in strange situations.
- Recurrent distressing dreams related to the content and/or feeling of the traumatic events. (Note: It may not be possible to ascertain that the frightening content is related to the traumatic event.)
- Reactions as if the traumatic events are recurring; the most extreme being a complete loss of awareness of present surroundings. (Note: Such trauma-specific reenactment may occur in play.)
- Hyper-vigilance, exaggerated startle response, irritability, withdrawal.
- Diminished interest or participation in significant activities such as play.
- Persistent reduction in expression of positive emotions.
- Clinginess to caretaker.
- Over/under use of words related to the trauma.
- Distress in relationships with parents, siblings, peers, or other caregivers, or with school behavior not attributable to another medical condition.
Just because children cannot or do not talk about their feelings does not mean the feelings are not there. If not recognized and treated early on, post-traumatic stress disorder will manifest later in the lives of these children.
Steve Sparks, Author, Reconciliation: A Son’s Story and My Journey of Healing in Life After Trauma, Part 1&2… Click the highlighted text for my author page to order books and other stuff from Amazon.
