Slides from Trauma Informed Making session at ICE 2019

1. Heather Lister
@heathermlister

2. Chief Education officer @ Construct Learning

3. Chapter:
Trauma-Informed Making
By yours truly

4. “those Kids”

5. • 100% - Diagnosed emotional/behavioral
disturbance
• 90% - Have been in psych hospital
• 57% - Attempted suicide
• Over 50% - Victims of physical abuse
• Over 30% - Victims of sexual abuse
Walt Smith
Director of Special Education Services
Elizabethtown Area School District

7. Goal: OBSERVE THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN ADVERSE CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCES AND SUBSEQUENT
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AS
ADULTS.

8. 1. Substance abuse in the home
2. Parental separation or divorce
3. Mental illness in the home
4. Witnessing domestic violence
5. Suicidal household member
6. Death of a parent or loved one
7. Parental incarceration
8. Experience abuse or neglect

9. CHILDHOOD TRAUMA WAS FAR MORE
PREVALENT THAN ANTICIPATED.

10. • RACE
• RELIGION
• SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS
• FAMILY SYSTEMS

11. ACCORDING TO 2017 NATIONAL SURVEY
OF CHILDREN’S HEALTH, 1 IN 4
CHILDREN HAVE EXPERIENCED 1 ACE AND
1 IN 5 HAVE EXPERIENCED 2 OR MORE.

12. Attendance Behavior Coursework
3+ ACEs 4.9 6.1 2.9
2 ACEs 2.6 4.3 2.5
1 ACE 2.2 2.4 1.5
No known ACE 1.0 1.0 1.0
adapted from Fostering Resilient Learners
STUDENTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED 3 OR MORE ace’S ARE OVER 6 TIMES AS LIKLEY TO HAVE BEHAVIOUR ISSUES THAN
THEIR PEERS WHO HAVE NO KNOWN ACE

13. EVERYONE RESPONDS
DIFFERENTLY
YOU DON’T DECIDE WHAT AND WHAT ISN’T
TRAUMA.

14. WE CAN NOW
NEUROLOGICALLY
IDENTIFY THE
IMPACTS

17. • Emotional
• Relational
• Physical
• control

20. Psychiatrist Bruce Perry found that
areas of the brain can be reshaped
and reorganized through activities
that include touch and movement

22. How do we a design a
space with this in mind?

24. RELATIONSHIPS ARE MOST
IMPORTANT FACTOR

25. men who felt loved and cared for by
someone in their childhood – EVEN BY
ONE INDIVIDUAL- made 50 percent
more money and were more likely to
feel satisfied with their lives in
adulthood.

26. “ ”
• How well do you know them? Do you know their name?
• What efforts have you made to get to know them?
• Have your interactions been initiated by you or the maker?
• Are the interactions question-response in nature or a conversation?
• What percentage of your job duties are dedicated to establishing and
maintaining relationships?
• Is everyone greeted upon arrival?
• How do you think your patrons would describe their relationship with
you?

27. STRATEGIC PARTNERS
AND GROUP WORK

28. HOW DOES THE SPACE
MAKE THEM FEEL

29. THE BAD KID
The kid who
made….

31. “ ”
•Is the space accessible to patrons who may have family
obligations? (i.e. a patron may have to take care of a younger
sibling during a time when the makerspace is open)
•Does the space marginalize any gender, race, religion, sexual
orientation or socioeconomic status?
•What assumptions are we making in the programming we
offer? (i.e. are we assuming our patrons have devices and
internet at home?)
•Does the space have different areas for independent and
group work?

32. PUNATIVE OR
RESTORATIVE?

33. Assume everyone is doing the
best they can.
Address the cause, not
the behavior.

34. “ ”
•Ensure everyone is safe – first physically, then
emotionally.
•De-escalation and redirection as first line of response.
•Help them regain normalcy.
•Restorative practice
•Help learner recognize feelings and take responsibility
for actions.

35. PREVENT, THEN RESPOND.

38. • Providing opportunities for leadership roles,
even if miniscule tasks.
Examples: Designating a person to change the
3D printer filament, designating someone as
the Scratch expert.
• Providing as many opportunities for choice
Examples: What skill to learn, what tools to
use, what product to create.
• Providing as many opportunities to “figure it
out”
Examples: Unboxing a new product. Navigating
a new software independently.

39. A FINE LINE

41. HEATHER LISTER
@HEATHERMLISTER
WWW.HEATHERLISTER.COM