Clinical Round Table 18 - The Dissemination and Implementation of Trauma Informed Practices in School Communities Using Evidence Based Techniques to Promote Resilience

This clinical round table will focus on trauma-informed approaches for engaging with school communities and disseminating evidence-based practices to promote resilience in neurotypical and neurodiverse school age children.
Traumatic interruptions affect school climates and hinder learning environments. Due to the constant news cycle and social media, children are over-exposed to tragedies and potentially traumatic events both locally and globally (Leiner et al., 2016). At least two thirds of children in the U.S. will be exposed to trauma by 16 years of age, and schools are the most common setting for children with and without psychiatric diagnoses to receive mental health services (Duong et al., 2021; Jaycox et al., 2010; Copeland et al., 2007).
Evidence- and trauma-informed approaches to working with school administration, teachers, and students are beneficial in the aftermath of a global pandemic, school shootings, natural disasters, international political climate and wars, accidental deaths of students or school staff (Diamond, 2024; D’Amico et al., 2017; Openshaw, 2011). Schools are especially important for supporting student mental health in rural communities where limited resources exacerbate the disadvantages of poverty and co-occurring traumatic experiences (Perkins et al., 2021).
Furthermore, neurodiverse youth are comparatively more vulnerable to the impact of traumatic events, such as medical procedures, physical restraints, verbal assaults, and bullying (Hoover, 2020; Vogel & D’Amico, 2018; Kerns et al., 2017). Trauma-informed principles aimed at promoting safety, calm, support, strength, and hope (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004 ) can be the centerpiece for healing and promoting resilience in children in school-based programs.
Our panelists will consider several school-based resilience practices that have been instrumental in helping children with coping skills and emotional regulation, such as Stress First Aid (Watson & Westphal, 2020). We will discuss lessons learned from the trenches of dissemination and implementation in general and special education settings, an emphasis on incorporation into school communities and barriers to success. In addition, individualization of programs based on local needs will be addressed.