Trauma as defined by Krupnik (2019) is anything that puts an individual in danger emotionally, physically or psychologically and sometimes involves the security of the individual’s family or friends (p.256). These events can be life changing and as such it needs to be dealt with in an intricate way. In the ‘normal’ world, people sometimes encounter traumas that they are unable to recover from. Similarly, you can imagine how overwhelming it may be for people with autism and developmental disability who sometimes may not be vocal to even express how they feel after experiencing trauma. This does not mean; we cannot detect if they are traumatized from their body language and physical characteristics. As behavior analysts, it is ethically necessary to ensure clients are protected from any harm because these are vulnerable populations. This reflection would be on the introduction of schools and classrooms that are trauma-informed, providing trauma-informed care for people with intellectual and developmental disability and the implementation of trauma informed care in behavior analysis.
According to Cavanaugh (2016) people with developmental disability experience abuse (p.41). This was not surprising as some people may make fun of those that are a bit different from them. Some even go to the extent of verbally and physically abusing such people. For example, I watched a video on Instagram where a 14-year-old with dwarfism and intellectual disability was used as a meme because of his looks. Reading the comments was heartbreaking as people were calling him ugly and all sorts of vile names. Imagine this child is to see this, he is going to lose confidence in his appearance and may potentially go into depression. The article also highlighted the implications of trauma leading to individuals having issues with emotional control and building social relationships (p.41). I am aware experiencing trauma can lead to having trust issues, and the results may be isolating oneself and exhibiting some aggressive or self-harm behaviors. It is important to note that the article focused on the sporadic discussion of trauma-informed practice in schools (p.42). Even though I expect this to be an urgent practice in schools especially for vulnerable population, not all schools have adequate funds to provide counselors, psychologists and behavior analysts. Furthermore, it seems teachers are not equipped in trauma-informed practices and may not even have the tools to deal with such occurrences. This I think is unfortunate. In my view, this should be a top priority for policy makers as it would not only benefit only the vulnerable population but all students. Similarly, the article explored the development of a safe environment when using trauma-informed educational practice (p.42). I believe removing triggers around these children will provide a sense of safety therefore preventing display of socially unacceptable behaviours. Another notable point raise in the article was the use of high praise in the academic setting to reduce problem behaviour (p.42). This is because praise could serve as a reinforcer for good behaviour. Praise can encourage the students to do and try new things. I remember when my grandmother would dance and sing for me whenever I got good grades. It was good motivation. This article also pointed out the need of trauma-informed practices to be conscious of culture (p.43). This is crucial when developing interventions. In some cultures, boys or men are not supposed to show weakness so if they go through trauma, they are unlikely to be open about it. In other words, teachers or behaviour analysts may need to find other ways to encourage such boys or men to speak up and seek help.
Consequently, Houck and Dracoubly (2022) explained certain professionals such as first responders and military personnel were more likely to experience trauma (p.40). This is relatable as when I was doing maxillofacial rotation as a dental house officer, I lost some clients that I was hopeful about their recovery. I was sometimes overwhelmed with emotions that I dreamt about the clients I had lost and dreaded going to work. It got so bad that I started to question if I was in the right field of work. This article also supported Cavanaugh (2016) point of people with learning and developmental disability being at risk of going through a traumatic event. This article raised a point that behavior analysts may be doubtful to talk about trauma because how it can be confounding conceptually (p.42). This is understanding because I have always seen trauma as an event psychologists should deal with. Moreover, I am trying to wrap my head around how behavior analysts without a psychology background would deal trauma efficiently. Yes, they may develop interventions to reduce behaviors such as aggression and self-injury, but I am wondering how they would deal with the psychological aspect. In my opinion, it is outside the scope of competence for behavior analysts without a psychology background unless they work hand in hand with a psychologist. Another crucial point raised is the proof that trauma affects physiology and behavior (p.43). This is why behavior analysts must know all details about their clients including medical history and social background when developing treatment plans. If a child is going through physical abuse or has seen a parent go through domestic violence, this child may withdraw or get aggressive when initiating care. This may be confused with non-compliance or withdrawing assent. However, that may not be the case so knowing all the facts is very necessary.
Rajaraman et al. (2022) noted that stress associated with providing care for people with development disabilities accounts for abuse and neglect (p.68). In Ghana, families may be shunned because their child has a developmental disability. Also, married couples can even get a divorce as they blame each other when a child is born with developmental or intellectual disability. Some even abandon the child because they do not want to be associated with the child. However, divorce can lead to single parenthood. Moreover, all the responsibilities of the child’s care falls on one person which can be unbearable. It can be frustrating if there is no help, and this could account for neglect and abuse. The article also highlighted the history of segregation of individuals with developmental disability and how it has played a role in trauma informed policy making (p.70). While I agree with this perspective, it has been years since people with intellectual disabilities have been integrated into the society so how come there are still issues with policy making for them? I thought there are agencies set up to ensure this does not happen. Could it be these agencies have not been provided with the necessary materials to work with or they are not doing their job? I am also wondering who the policy makers are. Is it that they do not have family members that have intellectual disabilities or are not people with intellectual disability? I am asking all these questions because how do you know someone’s challenges if you haven’t lived their experience?
The article by Rajaraman et al. (2022) and Houck and Dracoubly (2022) gave policy recommendations that will be beneficial for future policy making if applied however, trauma informed care requires substantial training. In other words, it may be complex to apply especially for a behavior analyst who does not have extensive training in trauma and its implications on behavior. Additionally, while the article by Cavanaugh (2016) promoted trauma awareness in schools, it provided scanty details on trauma types, and it was hard to gain in-depth impact of the trauma types.
In conclusion, teachers and behavior analysts should receive adequate training to provide trauma informed care. Policy makers must constantly look for ways to improve policies on trauma-informed care and must also remove policies that are not helpful to people with learning and developmental disabilities.
References
Krupnik, V. (2019). Trauma or adversity?. Traumatology, 25(4), 256.
Cavanaugh, B. (2016). Trauma-informed classrooms and schools. Beyond Behavior,
25(2), 41-46.
Houck, E.J., & Dracobly, J.D. (2022). Trauma-informed care for individuals with
intellectual and developmental disabilities: From disparity to policies for effective action.
Perspectives on Behavior Science, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-022-00359-6
Rajaraman, A., Austin, J.L., Gover, H.C., Cammilleri, A.P., Donnelly, D.R., & Hanley,
G.P. (2022). Toward trauma-informed applications of behavior analysis. Journal of
Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(1), 40-61.
