#36 - Trauma Indicators in Individuals with Special Needs
Identifying and recovering from trauma can be complicated for our loved one with special needs. There are only a handful of professionals in the country providing therapy for individuals with disabilities who have experienced trauma. Dr. Daniel Hoover of the Kennedy Krieger Institute (a partner of John Hopkins School of Medicine) is one of them. In this episode, he shares with us 3 red flags indicating trauma may be happening or may have happened and 3 things parents can do in partnering with the doctors to begin the recovery process.
Mentioned in This Episode
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Dr Daniel Hoover works in the Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is one of the few psychiatrists in the country specializing in trauma recovery for the I/DD population and has over a decade of experience in this niche.
The special needs population is at a much higher risk of experiencing trauma yet it often goes undetected. Dr. Hoover offers up 3 indicators trauma may be happening or may have happened.
Dr. Hoover strongly recommends parents educate themselves on trauma. Two helpful websites are the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and The NADD. Also recommended is The Road to Recovery toolkit.
In trauma recovery the first step for both parents and child is to return to a state of calm. There are even a few apps specifically designed to do just that such as the Triangle of Life and Me Moves.