The ability to integrate our ‘self’ into our community is perhaps the most important skill an individual has. All emotions are just a communication from our ‘self’ of how we are satisfying our needs. When our behaviour is rejected by others we experience a particular emotion, shame which confirms the importance of belonging. The fact that people take their own lives bears witness to the power of the underlying dynamic of rejection.
Shame is an emotion that we all experience at times. It's a feeling of embarrassment, self-consciousness, or guilt that can arise when we perceive ourselves to have fallen short of our own or others' expectations. This is referred to as healthy shame, it is a signal that what we are doing is likely to lead to rejection. It is a natural and necessary emotion that arises when we recognize that we have done something wrong or hurtful to ourselves or others. It can motivate us to take responsibility for our actions, make amends, and strive to do better in the future
Healthy shame also reinforces our humanity. When teaching at a school for highly dysfunctional adolescents I used to claim I was a perfect human. Of course, that got the reaction I wanted and so I followed up with the fact that no one could be perfect and so, not being perfect I was a perfect individual. I used this because we are not and can never be perfect, we will do things that hurt others. Not because we want to—we just make mistakes.
This healthy shame also allows us to understand the imperfection of others, they will do things to us that are hurtful and will make us want to push them away. It is much easier to forgive them if we accept the imperfection in ourselves. If we never experience shame, then we are either God or the Devil. We are either divine or totally corrupt.
This is healthy shame and protects us from abusing our community and promotes our empathy for others, helps us be more tolerant of their mistakes.
The ability to recognise that our actions influence our acceptance or rejection from others is not instinctive. Parents have to teach children through providing feedback when they behave in a manner others find repulsive and/or teaching them a better way to get their needs met. Another important teaching device is to model the correct methods of satisfying their needs but not in a way that mistreats others. More importantly they make the real distinction between the mistaken behaviour and the child, that is the child made a mistake they are not a mistake.
Young children are incapable of understanding they are not old enough or strong enough to complete some task set for them. An example is asking a child to drink milk from a cup before they have the motor skill for such a challenge. They will fail and, when this happens the child should be comforted and patiently taught to perform this act. However, children from abusive parents are rarely taught this distinction. Young children are incapable of understanding they are not old enough or strong enough to complete some task set for them and when they make a mistake, like spilling the milk they are often verbally abused and in some cases physically punished. They can only conclude that they are stupid, weak and useless; it’s their fault! Toxic shame is not shame over what they have done; it is shame over what they are.
Children with toxic shame take this debilitating belief into school. At any level learning consists of trial and error and so it is at school, there will be the inevitable errors. To healthy kids a mistake informs them that this is not the right way to solve a problem. For the child with toxic shame the mistake is confirmation that they are not the right person to be in the class. These students fear the unavoidable negative evaluation about their work and the resulting stress suffered will make any real learning impossible. The inevitable failure reinforces their sense of shame, this toxic shame.
In a vain attempt to hide their shame from the world, these children develop behaviours that will protect them. From about the age of three, they learn to manipulate others. They develop an inner dialogue, a self-talk that takes on a self-destructive tenor as illustrated below:
“Just give in. It’s easier than getting into an argument.”
“You have to do what that person wants or there will be trouble.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not important anyway.”
“You should …”
“You shouldn’t …”
“You better …”
This self-talk, this belief system, combined with the feelings that come from deep in the mind, form a potent force in decisions about how to act. The feelings are powerful and almost automatic, particularly in times of stress.
Teachers play an important role in creating a safe and supportive learning environment for their students, including those who may be struggling with toxic shame. The following will help:
Build positive relationships: Students who experience toxic shame may have difficulty trusting others and may feel like they are unworthy of love and acceptance. By building positive relationships and showing them that they are valued and accepted for who they are; they are not their behaviour.
Students with toxic shame will have a negative self-image and struggle with self-awareness. Teachers can encourage self-reflection by asking open-ended questions, providing opportunities for self-assessment, and helping students to identify their strengths and areas for growth.
Teachers can help by emphasizing and celebrating students' strengths and progress, and by providing specific feedback that highlights their accomplishments.
These strategies are just another way of expressing our underpinning philosophy; provide all the students with a safe and secure environment that is structured, expectations are understood and positive professional relationships are fostered.
Gender Differences in Dealing with Early Childhood Trauma
In the last Newsletter we discussed the different reactions to abuse depending on whether the perpetration was consistent and persistent or if it was chaotic and unpredictable in both the probability and the method. In the case of the consistent abuse children learned behaviours that could protect them and this feeling of control often allowed them to appear very functional in the classroom. However, these kids still need to embrace the environmental changes that would nourish them rather than hide in those behaviours that protected them in the past. Unlike those kids whose behaviour is ‘out of control’ all to often they appear to be very successful in the classroom and do not attract the attention of the teacher.
There is another group of students who are never recognised as being in need of additional attention and these are predominantly girls who dissociate when subjected to extreme abuse. Of course, this delineation is not exclusive as are any generalisations based on gender but there is currently a real difference in the way most adolescent girls and boys respond to elevated levels of stress!
The graph shown below is based on the work of Bruce Perry a legend in the field of childhood trauma. (the following description is from my book Neuroscience and Teaching Very Difficult Kids).
When we consider the process of increasing levels of stress that are the result of an attack on our safety we experience the following cognitive conditions:
Arousal – This occurs when a child’s attention is drawn to a potential threat. Under these conditions the student will become vigilant and will lose access to that curiosity that examines alternative ideas but focuses on conditioned behaviours. If the goal of the lesson is to learn new material or new behaviours, when stress is heightened the opportunity to be taught is gone because the student will only acknowledge established beliefs.
Alarm – The emotional level has increased and the cognitive patterns are ‘frozen’ into a particular response. There is a broad gender difference in that the girls become compliant in an attempt to avoid attention while the boys start to actively resist the threat.
Fear – At this stage the student reacts to the threat. The behaviours are out of the control of any cognitive process. The girls will start to dissociate, numb themselves from the situation while the boys will become defiant.
Terror – At this level everything becomes reflexive, under the control of our basic survival modes of behaviour. The girls will experience a mini episode of psychosis while the boys will become actively aggressive.
There are two points to make at this time. The first is obvious; it is clear that the only feeling state where ‘new learning’ can take place is that of ‘calm’. Previously we discussed stress in terms of healthy and unhealthy kinds. We need a certain level of attention to learn new work but in this instance the arousal is directed at a potential threat.
The second point to be made is the difference between the gender responses. The following comments are in the broadest terms. Of course, there are obvious exceptions to these observations some males respond in a way we would expect a female to respond and vice versa.
Initially it could be thought that the difference is cultural, girls and boys have been taught to behave that way. We give boys aggressive toys and girls things like dolls and toy kitchens to prepare them for their future roles. Or maybe we just see what we expect to see, boys being boys and girls being girls.
But when you look at the school level data around abuse and dysfunctional behaviour, despite the incidents for abuse being higher for girls than boys the number of boys being suspended or placed in a specialist setting far outweighs that of girls. The boys act out while the girls internalize. The reality is there is a difference that is impossible to ignore.
The best explanation I have heard about this difference is an evolutionary view that in early times, once humans generally became the dominant species one of the greatest threats for survival was attack from another tribe. When this occurred, the victors would kill the males and take the children as trophies. Sadly, this practice has echoes in modern conflicts where atrocities such as the killings in Bosnia were predominantly of males and the recent incidents of the abduction of school girls in Africa reflect this difference.
When you examine the suspension data in schools, the boys do outnumber the girls across the age ranges but at the onset of puberty, the time we move from childhood the number of boys suspended for aggressive behaviour dramatically increases. This implies that for the best chance of survival the children of both genders; women would become compliant and the men fight or flight. Not always were male children taken in some instances they were also killed. This behaviour is not confined to our species; it is common practice in a lot of herding animals such as the great apes and lions.
One of the tragedies of this ‘difference’ is that despite suffering more abuse the girls are neglected. Because the boys’ behaviour demands attention the bulk of the resources provided for dysfunctional students are focused on dealing with boys. As a teacher a compliant girl, frozen in her mind is so much easier to deal with then a boy who is abusing you. However, both boys and girls are in serious need of attention and support but only boys get it.
With the caveat declared about levels of stress when discussing the protective response to abuse, that is we need a ‘healthy’ amount of stress to act at all, the impact on our cognitive skills of elevated stress levels while seeking resources is comparative to those of protective behaviour in the production of dysfunctional behaviour.
There is a growing recognition of the need for teachers to recognise students who have suffered early childhood trauma and it is our hope that these Newsletters assist in you recognising those who in the past have slipped quietly through their school years never engaging and always hiding. However, it is really critical that any therapeutic intervention is only carried out by professional mental health practitioners. We are teachers and the best we can do is provide the environment that allows these kids an opportunity to experience a calm and supportive existence.
In our recent Newsletters we are building a picture of how early childhood abuse and trauma influences the behaviour of the victims, in our work focussing on the classroom. Children who experience abuse can be subjected to a range of different types and patterns of abuse. Two patterns that can have distinct impacts on a child's development, behaviour, and mental health are consistent abuse and unpredictable abuse. The difference will determine how the child deals with future stressful interactions.
Although it's important to understand that each individual responds to trauma differently, depending on a person's personality, experiences, and support system. When a child is raised in an environment where the abuse is predictable that is, there is a repetitive pattern, the child can develop a strong protective response that minimises the impact of that abuse. These children will bring that response into the classroom.
One example that stays with me was during my time coaching junior teams. I remember a small, immature child who I could see was afraid of the physical contact expected in the sport. Every time he hesitated to make a tackle or missed his opponent his father would consistently berate him or show his displeasure. To avoid this rejection the child threw himself into collisions that would physically hurt but the resulting pain was not as worrisome as that rejection. That child presents to the class as a tough kid a behaviour that hides his true temperament. As an aside, we understand that to build behaviours we need repetition and these children have learned behaviours that are ‘functioning’ in their abusive environment.
On the other hand, unpredictable abuse occurs when a child is subjected to a range of assaults or when it occurs randomly or intermittently. The uncertainty and unpredictability in the child's life doesn’t allow them to develop protective behaviour. Each episode is different and so the child does not have the repetition to create the behaviours.
The resulting inability to predict what will happen develops a sense of hopelessness in these children, that they have no control over their life and so their behaviour becomes erratic with no apparent purpose especially in times of stress.
Examining the responses to the predictability, or lack of helps us understand what drives the student’s behaviour in class. The difference between these two extremes of response to abuse can be illustrated by examining how they relate to the following five particular characteristics. On the left side we examine those children raised in unpredictive families and the right predictive.
The children from unpredictable environments feel:
Less Than – These kids, through their sense of worthlessness and shame never feel they are really entitled to have their fair share of life. When they are rejected, or by-passed, their response is not to stand up for their rights but say what they think ‘it doesn’t matter’ because they think they don’t matter.
Vulnerable – They are unprotected from future abuse and they lack the assertive capacity to get their own needs met.
Bad/Rebellious – Remember it is their sense of self that shapes their reality and because they have felt their abuse was deserved, they believe they are basically were ‘bad’. Then, in some act of defiance they confirm this opinion by their actions; it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy – ‘so you think I’m bad well I’ll just show you how bad I am’!
Dependent – Because they have no sense of competency, no belief they can do anything properly, kids with no protective behaviours they depend on others to make decisions for them.
Out of Control – These kids have no concept of being in control of their life. How could they when they have never experienced consistent consequences for their attempts to protect them self. When they make decisions, they have no prior knowledge about what will happen and so they make their ‘best guess’.
These ‘out of control’ kids are easy to recognise, in fact they demand our attention. They will act impulsively and with dysfunctional behaviours that were functional in their childhood homes.
At the other end of the spectrum are the children who have been abused in a more consistent manner. They display the following characteristics:
Better Than – Because they had to be just what their parent wanted they learned that they could have a deal of power over the situation in which they found themselves. Getting the decision on how to act was important, it had to be ‘just right’ to survive.
Invulnerable – These kids become very self-reliant, they don’t let anyone get close enough to find out how they really feel. This being locked in makes them appear and feel invulnerable but the cost is isolation. Regrettably, this emphasis on preventing authentic contact with others limits opportunities to get their own needs met.
Good/Perfect – Much the same as ‘Better Than’ this characteristic is also a result of the earlier need to make no ‘mistakes’ when dealing with their abuser. This reliance on perfection is their defence from being punished and they are well aware of how to avoid this.
Independent – Because they have been raised in an atmosphere of having things done to them and because there was no one to support them when they were being abused these kids don’t really feel they can trust others and so they never risked depending on another person.
Total Control – It is no surprise that these kids don’t take risks, it is too dangerous if you make a mistake. The tragedy is that the behaviours they use to ‘control’ their environment are the ones they learned in a dysfunctional environment; to try new behaviours is too dangerous and so they control what they can and ignore anything else!
It is obvious from the descriptions above those kids who have been raised in unpredictive, abusive environments are easy to identify and our classic response of structured, predictable and consistent approach helps deal with them. The kids who are damaged but in a predictable way will be at home in that environment and this is where the relationship component is decisive. Only through getting to understand all the kids, not just the ones that demand your attention will you be able to help them become integrated members of the classroom.
Remember none of us are:
Less Than or Better Than – we are unique and there is no point in comparing our worth!
We all live through times when we are vulnerable and there are times we have to risk being vulnerable. All we can do is the best we can knowing that life will do things to all of us!
Bad/Rebellious or Good/Perfect – Of course, no one is perfect, this is an impossible ambition and there might be some reward in being a bit cheeky and rebellious, it means you are human.
We live in communities and so it is really impossible to be totally independent however, it would be a mistake to be totally dependent. There are times when you will need to behave in ways that are near these extremes to either protect yourself or get your needs met but you need to be informed about the possible consequences before you make those decisions
Just like dependence, you are never in control of the environment and so you can never be totally in control. The purpose of behaviour is to provide you with defence against assaults or the ability to acquire something from the environment that will nourish you. Education is learning this level of control!
Regardless of the type of abuse experienced, the strategies outlined above are applicable.
The last Newsletters have described the impact of abuse imposed on children. In summary these include damage such as:
Broad scale reduction in the neural density caused by the lack of appropriate stimulation at the pertinent times and the corresponding, excess pruning.
A deficit when it comes to forming memories because the very part of the brain that creates memories the hippocampus is reduced in size by up to 10%. It is the hippocampus that decides what to remember and distributes this across the cerebrum.
The lack of neural density in the frontal lobes estimate at being as much a 20%.
The scarcity of neurons means the material to build memories is less than children who have had secure childhoods.
The increased sensitivity of the amygdala creates a hypersensitive individual.
There are plenty of resources that describe the various types of abuse none better than that found on the Department’s Student Wellbeing policy under indicators of abuse and neglect. The following is a very short description of the types of abuse that are recognised:
Physical - This is the use of intentional force against a child’s body or an unwanted invasion of their physical space. This is generally:
Hitting
Holding down
Exaggerated tickling
Pulling hair
Twisting ear
Etc.
Psychological/Emotional Abuse
Forms of emotional abuse are:
Attacking the worth of the child by rejecting them, terrorizing or isolating them.
Telling the child that they are stupid, un-loveable or unwanted.
Being overly harsh in criticizing the child.
Punishing the child when they become emotional – don’t be a baby, etc. or when they show no emotion when it would be appropriate to do so.
When the love of a parent is conditional on their behaviour (I will love you if …)
Sexual Abuse
This abuse is when an adult or older adolescent uses the child for their sexual gratification or for financial profit of the person committing the act. This can include:
Unwanted touching or penetration of the sexual organs.
Adults exposing their own genitals to a child.
Exposure to inappropriate sexual experiences or information (i.e. Pornography).
Other forms of Abuse that are not recognized by the Department include:
Intellectual abusewhichoccurs when a child is placed in a situation where they are asked to perform a task they are developmentally incapable of successfully achieving. Consider this abuse in regards to academic testing to identify rankings! It also occurs when children’s performances are compared in any discipline
Spiritual abuse occurs is when the parents put themselves above the child. The child must ‘worship’ the parent. A contrary form of spiritual abuse occurs when the parents put the child above themselves. The child becomes the focus of their devotion, they can do no wrong. These children never learn to take responsibility. In the first instance the parent knows best and you just do as you’re told. In the latter form the parent will not see any faults in the child’s behaviour and so they never get the natural consequences when they make a wrong choice.
The point is that children who have been subjected to neglect and abuse live with a real, imposed disability which causes them to exhibit a range of dysfunctional behaviours that can impact their academic success and social-emotional well-being. As their teacher, you play a critical role in their lives. It is important to recognize these behaviours and take steps to address them in a sensitive and effective manner. Previously I have talked about children who have adopted behaviours that were functional in a dysfunctional home but whose behaviours become dysfunctional when they find themselves in a functional classroom.
Rather than describe specific behaviours I will focus on the broad issues that drive those dysfunctional actions. One of the most common is the difficulty children who have experienced abuse have with their ability to regulate their emotions. These children may be prone to outbursts, aggression, and other disruptive behaviours and when a crisis is over they will take much more time to regain an emotional state where they can participate in the lesson. It is important to create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable expressing their emotions.
Another common problem exhibited by children who have experienced abuse is the difficulty with the establishment of positive social relationships. The most critical undertaking children of all ages is to acquire the social behaviours that allow them to participate in their community; rejection creates more damage than any other assault! These kids are more likely to exhibit overt aggressiveness towards their classmates or withdraw from the class. These kids will struggle to make or retain friendships.
Critically these children are likely to struggle academically. Because they are hypervigilant they may have difficulty focusing. If the abuse is ongoing they may miss school due to injuries or appointments with social workers, and may struggle to keep up with coursework.
Finally they can experience a range of physical symptoms, including chronic pain, headaches, and fatigue which will impact on their attendance or in the least their level of engagement.
It is important for teachers to be aware of the signs of child abuse and to take appropriate action if they suspect a student is being abused. Teachers are mandated, through Child Protection laws to report suspected abuse or neglect. All schools are familiar with these requirements but when in doubt it is important to make the report.
Our whole purpose is to support teachers when dealing with these kids. Our model of structure, expectations built in an atmosphere of positive relationships is key. In doing so you create a safe and supportive environment for all students. You promote positive behaviour, creating a sense of belonging, and providing opportunities for students to feel valued and respected.
In the last Newsletter we discussed the damage that occurs when a child is exposed to extreme levels of stress. Of course, this stress is generated by conditions in the environment often, but not always the reaction to abuse. Neglect could be considered to be the inverse of these conditions. It is a condition where the environment fails to provide the stimulus that is needed to form the neural connections that build the cognitive structure that determines our sense of self!
Appropriate stimulus is essential in early childhood when the brain is primed to develop foundation networks and there is an abundance of neural material to create the behavioural schemas to navigate the environment. It is a process of trialling behaviours that will address the needs we have to survive in homeostatic equilibrium. Over this period of exploration one solution will take primacy. With progressive use of the neural pathway that facilitates that behaviour will reinforce it creating a memory. This process is referred to as long term potential (LTP) and is characterised by the popular declaration ‘neurons that fire together are wired together’! These will eventually become the long-term memories that drive our behavioural choices.
The conditions that support this process are at their greatest in early childhood with the abundance of neurons available and the presence of myaline, critical to the strengthening of pathways. It is also the time when the brain is particularly sensitive to the environment. One feature of this process is what is described as ‘windows of opportunity’ when areas of the brain are particularly enriched to support specific undertakings. A powerful example of this process is in establishing the ability to interpret visual stimulation, that is learning to see.
If a child is born with cataracts they are unable to receive visual stimulation, there is nothing to evaluate. It is in about the first eight months the conditions to learn to see are augmented that is, there is abundance of myaline present. If the cataracts are removed in time the ability to see will be in place. However if not, then that child will not be able to correctly interpret their visual environment. This phenomena illustrates the dual types of impairment that are the consequence of neglect.
The first is the necessity of a stimulus to generate the need to create neural pathways, hence memory and resultant behaviours. The example of the presence of cataracts illustrates just one of the significant processes that require stimulus in early childhood. In broad sequential terms these periods start with sensory development as illustrated above and the same is required for the interpretation of other receptor inputs such as sound. The next is the acquisition of language. All parents rejoice at their child’s first word and it is miraculous how they quickly learn, not only put those words into language.
The next is social and emotional development. This starts with attachment where the stimulus provided by the primary caregiver, usually the mother will determine the child’s ability to attach with others. Attachment theory provides a powerful illustration of how different stimulus results in different properties of the child’s ability to bond with others. In general, there are four types of attachment very briefly described below:
Secure – where the child feels comfortable and protected in the presence of their caregiver. They grow to feel they have someone on whom to rely.
Anxious-Ambivalent – this is the result of inconsistent parenting; the child is unable to depend on the support being there. This results in fear of rejection of abandonment and these children will be described as ‘clinging’.
Disorganise – This develops as a result of consistent failure of the caregiver to respond when the child is in distress. This has an impact on their ability to regulate their emotions.
Avoidant – this is a result of parenting by strict and emotionally distant parents who do not comfort their child when distressed. These children become extremely independent and often are uncomfortable in intimate relationships.
Each of these types are a result of the social, environmental stimulus that was present at the time the child was ready to develop attachment behaviours. The same process of relating with others continues with the ability to connect with peers, affiliation is the next stage. This occurs at playgroup, or preschool, anywhere they mix with children of their own age.
One stage that has been identified but, to my knowledge not examined for the same neural and myaline conditions of early childhood is the emergence of the teenage brain, the time when the frontal lobes, in particular are being developed. In contemporary culture teenagers spend inordinate amounts of time on electronic devices immersed in social media or the various gaming platforms. The focus on this particular environment may well develop very sophisticated accommodating networks. I wonder what stimulus is not being catered for? At a school level, while we develop an authoritarian focus on numeracy and literacy (the dreaded NAPLAN regime), what are we neglecting to provide the stimulus for a healthy development of self?
In summary, the first behavioural casualty from neglect is the absence of stimulus. This is a different issue than the presence of inappropriate stimulus which is a separate cause of dysfunctional behaviour. In this latter case the pathways will be developed and strengthened; the brain does not make ‘principled’ judgements it just provides for the presenting environment.
The second casualty is a result of the brain’s drive for efficiency. We have discussed the development of dominant neural pathways which were formed through trial and error. What we must understand that during these trials there are many efforts that did not provide a satisfactory behaviour and were discarded. This residue of neglected neural connections create an inefficiency in the processing of behaviour and along with those neurons not used they are discarded; this is a process referred to as pruning. The issue is, once this neural material is removed any attempts to re-address the issues arising from an environmental stimulus are much more difficult to construct. This is why students who have built a powerful collection of behaviours that work in their early childhood environment struggle if the adult environment they now experience contrasts. It is very difficult for these students to learn new ‘appropriate’ behaviours!
In summary, the behavioural outcomes from neglect is a child who is at risk of cognitive delay, high levels of aggression and anxiety and social isolation. For students, and there are many who suffer neglect along with the damage that comes from direct abuse, attempts to help them alter their behaviour is an immense challenge.
The following is an extreme example of the damage done through acute neglect and abuse.
The MRI on the right is of a child rescued from the Romanian orphanage after the fall of the USSR. These children suffered the permanent damage to their brains:
Amygdala is increased in size.
Hippocampus reported to be reduced by 12%.
Prefrontal lobes are 20% smaller and have lesions on the surface.
Cerebellum is reduced in size
All of these are the result of the actions of adults on these children. They are not at fault!
I hope these recent Newsletters help you understand the enormous challenge you face when dealing with these children and more importantly the real disability resulting from the absence of appropriate stimulus and the neural material lost through pruning.
In the previous Newsletters we discussed the impact of stress on the formation of memory and consequently a child’s sense of self. In this, and the next essays I will discuss the impact too much or too little stress has on brain development and consequent behaviour. We begin with the situation where a child is exposed to extreme levels of stress!
In the last essay we described the stress response, the secretion of various hormones that facilitate the fight/flight/freeze response. This process is described in broad terms as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, that is the response flows through these systems. One of the outcomes of this is the production of cortisol the hormone that increases glucose that facilitates energy and defence to deal with the situation. It also curbs functions that are not essential to the immediate protection of the body. Things like physical development, behaviour adaption in a social context. The presence of cortisol denies these experiences.
When a child experiences re-occurring, extreme levels of stress this continuous exposure results in a reduction in the physical growth of that child. They fail to reach their potential physical size, which in itself is a tragedy. For our discussion the presence of cortisol alters the following physical capacity of our brain:
Hippocampus – this is part of the limbic system and is primarily involved in the formation and the retrieval of memory. For children who have experienced constant highly elevated stress the hippocampus can be reduced by 12%. This is a significant disability!
Prefrontal Lobes – this is the intellectual centre of our brain where we do our thinking and consider our behaviour and how it impacts our future. It is also where our ability to resist impulsive behaviours, a property so vital in managing how we conduct ourselves. There can be a 20% reduction in this critical part of the brain and that has huge implications.
Cerebellum – this is a critical part of the brain, although it only occupies 10% of the brain’s volume it contains half the brain’s neurons. The function of the cerebellum is to evaluate the existing environmental conditions with the homeostatic status of our self, to evaluate the need for action and if required initiate that action. The cerebellum is the key component in all our decision making and this is significantly reduced in the presence of cortisol.
Corpus Collosum– this is that part of the brain that coordinates cognitive functions that exist on opposite sides of the brain. The efficiency of the process is compromise by the lack of development.
A paradoxical alteration to our cognitive landscape that is a result of continuous elevated stress is the growth of the amygdala. This structure is the part of the brain that controls our emotions and the behaviours that are initiated by those emotions especially fear. The continual stimulation of the amygdala results in its over-development. It is larger and more sensitive to potential threats resulting in a hyper-sensitivity that makes the child more anxious.
The child who has lived with this chronic continuous stress is left with a cognitive system that has been deprived of the availability of those functions that protect them from future stressful events and a hypersensitivity to potential threats. The following diagram illustrates the stress response when you are confronted with a stressful situation.
As can be seen, the stimulus comes into the cerebellum and on to the thalamus, that part of the brain that distributes stimulus. From there, depending on the intensity of the stimulus it will go either to the hippocampus where a considered response can be adopted or to the amygdala which will evoke a reflexive, unconsidered reaction. For the damaged child, the propensity to suppose a real threat and the limitation in the ability to make a considered response means they at a real disadvantage in a busy classroom. You have to remember they have no ability to ‘will away’ the heightened emotions despite your efforts to reassure them.
The long-term exposure to elevated stress and the presence of cortisol means the child is more likely to suffer the following health problems:
Anxiety
Depression
Digestive problems
Headaches
Muscle tension and pain
Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke
Sleep problems
Weight gain
Memory and concentration impairment
In the classroom these damaged students will challenge your patience and endurance. They will minimise or misrepresent any positive interaction you attempt to have with them just as they will be hypersensitive to any negative social skills, not only from you but also their class mates.
Of course what I have been describing is early childhood post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or the abnormal learning associated with fear. PTSD is at the heart of the model of behaviour management I present and is an ever-present element in our approach.
The impact of extreme stress, as we have discussed above is at the heart of trauma however, in the literature that is focused just on trauma there are more specific descriptions for all cases. These are:
Traumatised people portray ‘snapshots’ of their unsuccessful attempts to defend themselves in the face of threat. That is a given for a child, of course they can’t ‘defend’ themselves..
The inability to discharge the energies associated with the preparation to defend themselves means they are fixed into patterns of readiness. Adults can be given opportunities to discharge these energies, children cannot!
We remain in a constant state of neuromuscular readiness - fixated in an aroused state.
All references to trauma imply that events challenge the very foundations of our expected survival. Adults function with the expectation that they will endure and this gives them the confidence to plan and act within our community. However, there will be times when these expectations are shattered through the experience of:
Unexpected life-threatening events such as car accidents, earthquakes, severe illness, the death of a loved one, anything that threatens your stable view of the world.
You come face to face with human vulnerability, you witness the injury to another person that demonstrates the fragility of life, in an instant the world changes through events that are out of your control.
You come face to face with the capacity for others to preform what can only be called evil in the world.
Children do not have these expectations. They are unable to put meaning to the trauma! This is an area that I have never been able to find any information but I believe it accounts for a difference between early childhood and adult episodes of PTSD!
One of the most significant things about early childhood PTSD is that it is most often perpetrated by their primary care-giver. Because infants are totally egocentric they will blame themselves for the abuse. This is at the heart of toxic shame, the belief that you are a mistake!
Whether you refer to the conditions outlined above as early childhood trauma or exposure to chronic stress the result is the same. In the classroom you will be dealing with students who have a real physical disability that has been put on them by an adult. Along with the physical deficit there will be a sense of worthlessness that is a powerful part of their sense of self. It takes a special teacher to understand this and hang in with them long after they think you will give up!
The next Newsletter will deal with the impact of neglect, a feature that is so often co-exists with Trauma.
In the latest Newsletters we have focused on the emergence of our consciousness facilitated by the mechanism of our neural environment. Through the decisions on how we live our self emerges. At the very basic level we are our decisions on how we have maintained our self in the environment in which we find ourselves and that determines our behaviour. This includes the behaviour of those students who are severely disrupting our classrooms!
We behave to survive (and reproduce) and we survive in a specific set of conditions allowing us to maintain our body in a steady, nurturing state of internal biological, physical, social and intellectual equilibrium; a condition described previously, in homeostatic equilibrium.
Because the immediate environment is changing constantly we are continually needing to adjust to maintain this condition. At a physical level, we are relentlessly adjusting our blood pressure, core temperature and levels of glucose. If you want to experience the power of this drive for equilibrium just hold your breath for as long as you can. Without training, after 30 seconds your full attention will be on that next breath!
That example was describing our physical state, in consequent Newsletters we will discuss other conditions we need to sustain with that of social equilibrium, a significant factor in the development of the dysfunctional behaviours in which we are interested.
In summary, the brain continuously monitors the internal homeostatic status in relation to the external conditions of the environment. When we are out of balance, in disequilibrium we become stressed at levels ranging from mild curiosity to extreme terror. It is the energy this instability generates, the stress that fuels the brain and onto the body to make the adjustments required to change that relationship.
The process is to synchronise the external world with our internal state of equilibrium
We gain ‘intelligence’ through our senses, the receptors like smell, sight, sound, etc. and this lets us know how those conditions will impact on our equilibrium. If the situation supports the current status we are secure, stress free. However, if there is a disparity stress will be generated, the level of which depends on the threat to our survival!
Our individual evolution of our sense of self is the result of our learning how to maintain equilibrium and this process is fuelled by this stress. The following is very simplistic description of what happens.
In these times of threat, the incoming stimulus that identifies that danger progresses quickly from the receptors to the limbic system—in particular, the amygdala. If the amygdala perceives the stimulus as representing a real, immediate threat, a sequence of events takes place to prepare the body—first to flight, and if that is not an available option, to fight or freeze. This involves a series of synaptic signals that release a cocktail of chemicals that in turn dramatically change the physiological status of the body.
The signals sent out are in the form of chemical and electrical change initiated in the brain. Chemically, this is an endogenous stress response of neuro-hormones—such as cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, oxytocin, and endogenous opioids—that surge through the body, priming its defences. These chemicals flood the brain, including the cerebral cortex and such subcortical areas as the hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, thalamus, and locus coeruleus. The most damaging change is the marked increase of cortisol, a condition that becomes significant and will be discussed in subsequent Newsletters.
The release of these naturally occurring chemicals is supposed to place the child in a state of preparedness to deal with perceived danger. When the danger has passed, the body returns to normal; the threat is over.
The level of stress and/or the persistence and consistency of the situation will determine the strength of the memory. You can see we are building the model of behaviour and the conditions in which these behaviours are adopted. This level is of particular importance both in the formation of powerful memories when the stress response is highly elevated. In the next Newsletter we will examine the implications of such extreme events which include brain damage.
At the other end of the stress spectrum is situations that hardly evoke any stress. This is not significant in the formation of our ‘self’ but extremely important for teachers who are trying to engage students in material in which they have little interest.
These stressful events have at their core the desire to behave in a way that will return us to equilibrium. They fire a set of neurons that initiate that behaviour and when repeated enough they create a memory! It becomes obvious that throughout early childhood we build an arrangement of memories of actions that support our survival in the environment in which we find ourselves.
So, it is that we first construct our self, particularly our social self and consequently use that sense to continue to navigate our way through our environment. This is significant – when the environment remains predictable the behaviour is functional; when the contemporary environment is incompatible with that in which our self was formed the behaviours that are mobilized are most likely to be ineffective!
The purpose of this Newsletter is to begin to build an understanding of the importance of stress, in understanding of why the students behave differently in the face of diverse situations and why it is important for the teacher to control the emotional environment in their classroom to activate the behaviours they want and to avoid initiating those behaviours that will disrupt the lesson. Remember, you can never make any student do what you want them to do. You can only create the environment in which the behaviour, the lesson you want them to learn is the behaviour that reinforces their sense of security!
Every thought, belief, movement or feeling is the result of a precisely tuned electric signal travelling through a chain of neurons, a circuit of nerve fibres. In fact our sense of self and all the actions we make based on that belief system is really just the result of electric impulses sent along a particular neural circuit! This has often been explained by means of an analogy with an electric circuit used in our daily life. The thing is, in the electric circuit of a motor, if the wires are allowed to touch each other the motor would fail, it would burn out. Hence the use of insulation that covers each circuit and isolates it from adjoining ones. The same sort of thing happens in our neural circuitry. In the brain we have a cellular insulator that wraps itself around the circuits, myaline!
Myaline is a lipid-rich or fatty content material that forms an insulating cover or sheath around nerve axons, the nervous system’s ‘wires’. Unlike the plastic coverings of an electrical circuit that encases the entire wire, myaline sheaths the nerves in segments with short gaps in between. This insulation increases the speed and accuracy of the electric impulses that activate the desired behaviour.
The construction of a neural circuit is the result of the desire to change our position in the environment, to maintain homeostasis! For example, when an infant wants to walk there is an accumulation of skills starting from the parent supporting them to standing, overcoming the challenges of unsupported balance, the coordinated movement of the legs until walking becomes an unconscious skill. Through every stage of this process the brain has, through trial and error found the best connection to achieve the desired result. By repeatedly using this preferred circuitry the network is formed – hence the famous neuroscience maxim ‘neurons that fired together are wired together.
The formation of the neural circuit triggers the myaline response. The more we use it the more myaline protects it and the more efficient it becomes!
This process remains throughout life but decreases as we age. At about 50-year-old the proficiency is reduced but there is evidence that if you keep learning, keep active in a way the requires the use of myaline the decrease can be slowed remarkably! But, it is undeniable this process of construction of neural pathways is at its peak in early childhood!
In childhood the myaline arrives in a series of waves, some determined by genes and others by activity. I speculate that the so-called ‘windows of opportunity’ are governed by our genes. Significantly, when these periods of myaline excess that facilitates the acquisition of new behaviours are over, not only is the myaline reduced but regrettably the neurons that would have been used are washed out of the system for the sake of ‘efficiency’.
The most dramatic illustration of this process is the period of development of sight. The brain prepares for the construction of the visual circuitry early in childhood. The child learns to understand sight by linking the visual stimulus with a representation of objects. What is revealing is that in rare cases where the child is born with cataracts they do not have access to this visual stimulus and unless the cataracts are not removed by about eight months, that child will never be able to effectively interpret their visual world.
These periods are critical and for the social development of the child the drive to belong is such a window. This is a period in early childhood when infants develop an attachment to others, in the first instance with their primary caregiver. The quality of the relationship between the parent or caregiver and the child will determine the sense of self the child will have and the behaviours that sense drives. When this period is over children who do not receive healthy interactions, those subjected to early childhood abuse and neglect will have the same impediment for future change as those children who were born with cataracts.
It is important to understand that myaline wraps it doesn’t unwrap and so these early childhood circuits remain throughout life, once you insulate a habit it can’t be uninsulated. This is why changing the behaviour of children who have developed highly dysfunctional behaviours is extremely difficult. You can’t remove the behaviour which in many cases is automatic so the best chance is to build an alternate circuit!
Building a circuit to trigger an alternative response to a situation that creates a condition of homeostatic disequilibrium is extremely difficult. Considering that the experience of disequilibrium initiates a stress response which then drives the learned behaviour that allows the individual to return to a state of equilibrium must have been successful in the conditions in which it was formed, change is difficult.
The initial task is to overcome that stress. This will be the focus of our upcoming Newsletters – it is critical. In the mean time we remain focused on the characteristics of myaline in this process.
To build an alternate behaviour that responds to a stressful situation requires the same conditions that were lived through at the time the original circuit was established. A behaviour was trialled (in this case not the existing one) and was successful. This success needs to be repeated continuously until the brain identifies it as one that requires myelination. This repetition needs to continue until the new circuit is fully shielded. At this time you have a choice in how to respond to a difficult situation!
To promote myaline growth requires the firing of the circuit, the student must take the action that will lead to the desired outcome. It does not respond to lectures, best wishes or some expert explanation, it is only in the doing that this works!
As the teacher, it is you who must provide these conditions and they are what we continue to advocate. Provide consistent and persistent consequences for behaviour in a calm environment. It is the consistency and persistency that allows the myelination and the calmness that diminishes the power of the previous response!
Working with these children is very difficult and you must understand the building of a new behaviour will not take place in the same conditions as the existing one. There will not be the same abundance of myaline and a significant number of neurons that could have been used have been pruned for the sake if efficiency.
Next time you are in a staff meeting discussing the behaviour of the children remember the ability to change behaviour reduces as we age and this might help you deal with the frustration created by those who resist change – we are all our brains. Fortunately our brains are magnificent!
As indicated in the previous Newsletter the ‘learned’ behaviours commence at the time the child is born. During this early stage of development, the volume of synaptic connectivity is at its peak. This is the formation of neural pathways that initiate a behavioural response to a particular set of homeostatic conditions. This ‘construction’ is not instantaneous but, through trial and error the actions that get the best response are repeated and by continual repetition of this association between stimulus, discomfort, action and consequential relief, a circuit is born.
These attempts to adjust their current physiological state continue until there is some success. Then through repetition the strength of these successful connections increases until they become dominant and are myalinated to become fixed in the structure of the brain. This myelination or ‘insulation’ is supported by glial cells; a type of supportive product that does not conduct electric impulses. There is no definitive appreciation for the function of these cells but I suspect they perform some supportive function in the brain. Nature rarely retains useless materials in such abundance.
This crude description of what happens is at its peak in early childhood. 90% of the brain’s development occurs in the first five years. This is a time when there is an oversupply of neurological materials available to support the learning of new actions. Importantly there are crucial periods, windows of opportunity when the presence of the required material to build synaptic connection, and retention is increased providing optimum conditions for the construction of particular networks.
The development of sight provides a great illustration of the need for stimulus at the time the brain is geared for the acquisition of a new skill. If a child is born with cataracts on their eyes and those cataracts are not removed by about ten months that child will be functionally blind. Even if the cataracts are removed after the critical period and the stimulus is available, the rich neural environment that was there has been removed. This is an example of the ‘use it or lose it’ maxim and a further example of the loss of plasticity in the lower levels of the brain over time.
Those neurons that are not used wither through disuse and eventually are discarded, a process called pruning where the unused neuron cells are removed to make the newly formed connection still more efficient. The effect of this pruning is that in the first three years a child has over 1,000 trillion potential neural connections but the time they reach adolescence this is halved to 500 trillion a number that remains fairly stable for the rest of their life.
Early childhood is a time of great plasticity, a time when new circuits are easily formed and retained. However, once these new circuits are formed and myalinated this plasticity decreases, the newly formed neural pathway are ‘’locked in’. The result is that these behaviours are difficult to change in the future, the required cells have been pruned and the existing behaviours are extremely durable.
This lack of future plasticity explains why the learning that takes place in early childhood is difficult to modify. When you consider that they are permanent this is only an advantage if they have been learned in a functioning environment. However, if the behaviours are learned in a dysfunctional environment these will clash in a functional classroom. This is the fundamental reason cognitive interventions to change the disruptive behaviour of children raised in abusive and neglectful environments are ineffective.
Learning continues throughout our lifetime but decreases as we age and our brain development reflects that reduction. The brain develops in two ways, from the bottom up, that is behaviours in the midbrain and limbic system, which are predominantly social skills and from the back to the front! The back to front evolution reflects the emergence of our intellectual brain, that part we want to access in our lessons. The illustration shows this development.
This progression to adulthood is said to be completed around the age of 28 for males and earlier for females, I will leave that inference without comment! This is when the frontal lobes are developed.
This progressive characteristic is important for our expectations of behaviour for children of different ages. It has been described as the first ten years we become people, with the skills of communication, survival and affiliation and the next we become reproductive people where we must learn a new form of intimate attachment. This reflects Dawkin’s hypothesis we are driven to survive and reproduce!
Our focus is on those children whose behaviour clashes with that required in a functioning classroom. It must be remembered that even though all children will be developing behaviours those children who have not learned the previous functioning skill set will require extra support. When the teacher understands this it helps inform their approach to how they teach their academic programs. Students who are having difficulty learning to relate socially, that is those who are highly disruptive are not going to improve their NAPLAN results until they improve their affiliation skills!
The next illustration shows these phases of development.
In summary, as we move towards maturity we develop in a three staged, hierarchical fashion that reflects our triune brain with:
Development of the physical self, our reflexive responses in the brain stem and midbrain that cater for changes in our physical homeostatic status.
The emergence of our objective self in our limbic system where we experience the external world as objects and others. We learn to socialise!
The final development is in our cerebral cortex, our intellectual brain which allows us to ponder situations that are not easily resolved.
It is the last part of the brain we want in the classroom however this will not be available unless the lower functions are in homeostatic equilibrium. This is why the management of disruptive behaviours is the most important skill a teacher should have. A fact that is ignored by academics and bureaucrats!
Our brain is at the heart of all our being. Everything we perceive, think about and the way we act is controlled by the brain. As the Noble Prize-winning neuroscientist, Eric Kandel declared ‘if it’s not the brain then what is it’? It is through the brain we interpret the world and our self within that world.
Simplistically, we have a body that needs to survive in the environment in which it resides. Another way of understanding what the brain Is all about is articulated in Richard Dawkin’s thesis ‘The Selfish Gene’. That we exist to sustain a genetic code and our bodies only exist to support that gene. When our bodies cease to function, the genes have expected us to reproduce to provide another host. The conclusion is we exist to live and reproduce. During these Newsletters I will not place much emphasis on our need to reproduce but those who have dealt with adolescents understand this is a complex area for teens to navigate!
So, if the purpose of our existence is to survive and reproduce why is the understanding of behaviour so difficult? It is the complexity, both of the individual and their brain, the environment in which they developed and the conditions they face in their contemporary world which creates this complexity.
In our known universe, there is nothing more complicated than the brain. This small organ contains 86 billion neurons which have the potential to create 500 trillion connections which can process 70,000 thoughts each day. It weighs about 1,200 grams, about 2% of the body weight. It generates 23 watts of power, enough to power a light bulb and makes up a quarter of our total energy budget. I hope that when you think about why your students act the way they do you consider the complexity that drives their behaviour! However, much is known about how the brain operates and this will help you understand, in broad terms why kids choose to act the way they do.
Each brain evolves throughout the life of each individual. Human brains follow an inherited genetic scaffold for the first 38 weeks of gestation prior to birth. Although during this time the environment within the womb can effect the development of the brain the main focus of this period is on developing those reflexive behaviours that maintain our physical wellbeing. Things like breathing, heart-beat, blood clotting, all these physical adjustments we make every moment of every day. At the time of birth another process dominates the developmental journey. This is when we start to ‘learn’ how to behave to survive in an increasingly more complex manner.
Because the process of why we behave the way we do is circular, how to best describe it is awkward. I’ll start with the principle of homeostasis.
In all biology, being in homeostasis is being in a steady state of physical existence. For humans it is when our body is in its ideal condition. Things like blood pressure, oxygen supply, body temperature in fact every organ in out body is sustained in an optimal condition; it is in homeostatic equilibrium.
To maintain this ‘equilibrium’ requires us to interact with the external environment. For example, if we are exhausting our oxygen supply we fall into a state of homeostatic disequilibrium. This creates a drive to rectify this deficiency by accessing the supply of oxygen from the environment; we breathe and return to equilibrium. This drive is manifested as stress which will be a subject we will examine in detail at a later date it is important to understand that homeostasis in not limited to our physical world exclusively.
Our access to the external world to gain what we require very often requires we interact with others which generates a social equilibrium or we have to think about a solution which involves an intellectual search! These three parts of our existence, our body, the need to interact with others to get our needs met and the access to memories to either recall previously successful behaviours or to contemplate novel solutions to problems are catered for in the three levels of our brain!
Our brain, a cross section of which is shown below is often referred to as being tri-part or triune with the three levels being both evolutionary for our species and for each individual. As a species humans reached the top of the evolutionary tree by exploiting the benefits of living in social groups and using our cognitive ability to make tools to enhance our efficiency on meeting our needs.
The three areas are described below at a very simplistic level:
The brain stem and mid brain which generally controls the behaviours that allow us to maintain of physical presence in the world. Things like breathing, blood flow, balance, motor skills are maintained in response to deficits or threats.
Limbic System, this section of the brain which sits above the mid brain controls our social interactions. It facilitates memories of previous experiences which can be retrieved when needed as well as controls our emotional response to the situations in which we find ourselves. Two major components are the amygdala, which controls our responses particularly when under threat and the hippocampus which facilitates the storage of our memories.
Cerebral Cortex, this is the last part of the brain to mature in our species and in each individual. The cerebral cortex resides above the brain and not only stores our memories it also facilitates our decision making. It consists of four lobes:
Frontal which controls consciousness, communication, memory, attention and is referred to as the executive of the brain.
Parietal which processes sensory information it receives for our receptors, things like touch, taste, and temperature.
Temporal which is associated with processing our auditory information.
Occipital which as the name suggests is involved in the visual processing of our world.
This essay may not be relative to improving our classroom management but understanding how the student’s behaviour is driven will help you understand why they act the way they do. In the next Newsletter we will discuss how the evolution of an individual’s brain is influenced by the environment in which it exists.
The principals of the company have had long careers in education with a combined total of eighty-one years service. After starting as mainstream teachers they both moved into careers in providing support for students with severe behaviours.
