Many children find classrooms stressful.

In a room full of sights, sounds and smells, a vulnerable child can easily be triggered into a state of sensory overload. In this hyper-reactive state it doesn’t take much to tip them over the edge into a full-on fight/flight or dissociative reaction. 

These behaviours are all natural survival responses to feeling threatened, and are bringing us a message. They are often linked to signs of ADD, ADHD and Dyslexia.

Learning and Behaviour Through a Trauma Lens

Learning happens best when we feel safe, and our senses are open to taking in new information. When we don’t feel safe, our senses are scanning our environment for sources of threat, and it’s hard to focus and pay attention.

For many children, simply being in a classroom can feel stressful. Figures of authority can seem threatening to a child who has experienced childhood trauma. Feeling unsafe, a child’s sensory system will naturally attune to sounds of danger. 

Listening or Auditory Processing in the Classroom 

Learning in the classroom requires the ability to focus on the speaker’s voice and block out background sounds. A child may sit quietly and appear to be paying attention, but when questioned, has been off in dreamland. 

Others might be easily distracted, talking to classmates and disturbing their neighbours. Alongside this you may notice poor social communication and/or hyper-sensitivity to loud or sudden noises.

Difficulties with auditory processing can impact your child’s learning in a number of ways:

• Trouble bringing thoughts to words
• Delays in reading, writing and spelling
• Difficulty taking notes
• Poor phonics and speech discrimination
• Difficulty with memorising
• Difficulty following a sequence of instructions
• Heightened stress responses
• Daydreaming, or dissociating (tuning out)
• Inconsistencies in spelling
• Spelling words exactly as they hear them
• Poor social skills
• Often seems to be “off with the fairies”, and not listening
• Hypersensitive to certain sounds
• Restless, talkative as they seek co-regulation with a classmate

 

Supporting Children in the Classroom 

There are a number of things that can be done to help children when learning and behaviour are impacted by sensory processing difficulties, particularly auditory processing:

• Sit where they can watch the teacher’s face for visual cues
• Speak directly to the child
• Offer information is small, digestible parts and make sure they have understood
• Minimise background noise
• Find a quiet space with minimal distractions for classwork
• Minimise visual distractions to avoid overwhelm
• Maintain a friendly vocal tone when speaking, avoiding high or low-frequency sounds that can be triggering for a vulnerable nervous system.
• Explain concepts visually using pictures and written text

 

Not Naughty but Feeling Unsafe

Maintaining a well-modulated, friendly vocal tone is critical to support learning. Our vocal tone conveys what we are feeling. If we are stressed, our vocal tone will convey stress. This can easily trigger an already sensitive child’s behaviour to escalate. Resultant aggressive behaviour is seen as a fear response.

Our children’s behaviours are bringing us a message. Perhaps they are saying “Help me, I’m frightened and I can’t deal with all of this on my own”.

Reactive children risk being labelled as “naughty” or “troublesome”and punished for “bad” behaviour. However,  when the behaviour is a response to feeling threatened, it is happening below conscious awareness. The behaviour is not a choice, and has nothing to do with being “good” or “bad”. In an attempt to understand these behaviours, a diagnosis of ADD, ADHD or Dyslexia is often suggested.

A friendly, co-regulating presence, and well-modulated vocal tone can help them to recover their equilibrium. When a child is feeling safe, their potential for learning is improved. The background sounds retreat, and it is easier to focus on and make sense of what a speaker (teacher) is communicating.

What next?

If you are concerned about your child’s learning and behaviour, a listening assessment is a good place to start. This can be offered either on its own, or as part of a comprehensive assessment to identify immaturities in other areas of sensory and motor development.

A listening assessment will measure how well your child is able to:

• block out background sounds and focus on a speaker’s voice
• make sense of unclear speech
• understand language when they are presented with a different word in each ear simultaneously
• memorise a series of instructions
• process sequences of syllables and sounds within common words (phonological awareness)

A written report is included that you can share with your child’s teacher.

An assessment can help us to understand the “roots” of your child’s struggle. From here, we can talk about options to help them. I offer an individualised sensory integration and movement program incorporating:

• Counselling support
• Developmental Movement Program 
• Therapeutic Painting and Play Therapy
• Listening Therapy

Gains are usually seen in social and emotional development, reduced anxiety, improved self esteem and classroom performance. 

To learn more, please give me a call.

School-based Sensorimotor Development Program

Perhaps your child’s school is interested in offering a generic sensory motor development program such as that developed by the Institute for Neuro-physiological Psychology (INPP). This has been well-researched and is based on understanding brain science and the importance of early stages of development as a foundation for all later learning.

Note: If you’re worried about your child’s hearing, you might like to consider seeing an audiologist. (May need a GP or paediatrician referral).

You might also find it helpful to talk to your child’s teacher.

Related Articles

Listening and Auditory Processing Difficulties

Learning Difficulties and Challenging Behaviours

Signs of Dyslexia

Understanding ADHD – an Holistic Approach to Healing

References

• Badenoch, B. (2018). The Heart of Trauma. Norton. NY.
• Dana, D. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy. Norton. NY.
• Goddard, Sally. 2005. Reflexes, Learning and Behaviour. Fern Ridge Press.
• Goodard Blythe, S. (2012). Assessing Neuromotor Readiness for Learning. Wiley-blackwell. UK.