While public education in the United States has been in place for over a hundred years, special education in America has a much shorter history. According to Special Education News, it was not until the passage of both the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975 that special education became an integrated aspect of public education: “The EHA establishes a right to public education for all children regardless of disability, while the IDEA requires schools provide individualized or special education for children with qualifying disabilities.” For the first time in American history, education became a right for all children.
Expanding Special Education
Many assume that special education is restricted to students with disabilities. However, special education accommodates a wide range of differently-abled learners, and many students have difficult experiences that can require customized education for proper processing. Emotional trauma can happen to any student at any time; special education teachers should understand how PTSD in children affects learning, memory and attention. Many online master’s degree in education programs offer a special education track that gives future teachers the tools to help their students through difficult experiences.
Causes of PTSD in Children
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that “about 15% to 43% of girls and 14% to 43% of boys go through at least one trauma. Of those children and teens who have had a trauma, 3% to 15% of girls and 1% to 6% of boys develop PTSD.” Certain traumas cause PTSD at higher rates than others, but studies have isolated three factors that determine the development of PTSD in children. They are “how severe the trauma is, how the parents react to the trauma, and how close or far away the child is from the trauma.” Although parental reaction strongly influences the development of PTSD in children, teachers can provide additional mitigation.
Effects of PTSD in Children
Traumatic events affect memory — not only the recollection of past events but also the ability to form new memories. A 2008 study found that “Prior exposure to high-magnitude stressors . . . was significantly correlated with poorer performance on the memory tasks.” Students in an online master’s degree in education program who focus on special education learn to identify symptoms in children and provide support. PTSD in children manifests differently from PTSD in teens, but there is some overlap. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, “children may not have flashbacks or problems remembering parts of the trauma, the way adults with PTSD often do.” Further, teens “are more likely than younger children or adults to show impulsive and aggressive behaviors.”
While identifying and accommodating children with special needs is especially important for special education teachers, all teachers should understand the symptoms of PTSD in children, as it can affect any one of their students at any time.
Learn more about Lamar University’s Master of Education in Special Education online.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: PTSD: National Center for PTSD
Special Education News: The History of Special Education in the United States
