Signs and Behaviors

While no two students are the same, there are several common signs and behaviors which can alert educators that students may have experienced trauma:

• Inability to concentrate/ being "zoned out"
  • This could look like working on other tasks during lessons, talking with peers during class, or even being preoccupied by cellphones.
• Low tolerance of ambiguity
• Inappropriate social behavior
  • This may include disclosing trauma or other personal information.
• Mood swings
• Fear of making mistakes
• Reluctance
  • to speak in class
  • to work with others
  • to talk about themselves
• Jumpiness or nervousness
• Restlessness/inability to sit still

(Ham, 2017; Wilson, 2016; Palanac, 2023) 

It is important to note that, just as trauma is subjective (people experience traumatic events differently), so are the signs that someone has experienced trauma. Additionally, what may appear to some as a disengaged, or even disruptive, student may actually be a person struggling with the impacts of trauma. Trauma-informed and trauma-responsive pedagogy requires us to reconsider our assumptions about students' behaviors in this way.