++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Instead of getting an Easter basket full of candy in 1957 when I was 5 1/2, I was getting yet another toxic dose of this:

“Recent research suggests that early chronic trauma negatively affects brain development and body stress response systems (DeBellis et al., 1999a, 1999b).  In this formulation it is important to emphasize that early neglect and early trauma have similar effects.  Recent neurobiological research suggests that neglect and absence of care in infancy are traumatic because they create ongoing feelings of intense anxiety and helplessness.  Children with a history of severe early neglect show many PTSD symptoms, especially dissociation and hyperarousal (DeBellis, 2005).  Chronic trauma causes the HPA system to become overactive and more sensitive to future stress.  Children with histories of chronic abuse and trauma have greater concentrations of stress hormones than non traumatized children.  The longer the exposure to trauma, the higher were the abnormal concentrations of stress hormones and neurotransmitters (DeBellis et al., 1999a).  These biochemical changes mean that the stress response systems of traumatized children are activated much of the time, even when no stressors are present, and also that they become more active when stress is mild.  Essentially, the nervous system responds inappropriately, as if severe stressors were present.  Behaviorally, this biochemical overactivity translates into symptoms of PTSD:  hyperarousal, hypervigilance, high anxiety, and difficulty in sleeping.  In a highly reactive child these symptoms may surface so often that he appears to have ADHD; Perry, 1997 [sic]).  In severe cases of persistent abuse and neglect, pervasive developmental disorders may result (Nelson & Carver, 1998).

“The necessity of being constantly on alert has the potential to interfere with development in many ways, especially in young children whose self-regulatory and cognitive skills are not yet well developed.  Maladapted stress response systems have especially negative impacts on the regulation of arousal and emotion:  “Chronic stress increases the ability of the amygdala to learn and express fear associations, while at the same time reducing the ability of the prefrontal cortex to control fear…a vicious cycle in which increased fear and anxiety lead to more stress [and] further dysregulation” (Quirk, 2007, p. 39).   The individual’s ability to appraise environmental cues and respond in a modulated way is impaired by the automatic and overreactive quality of the stress response (Schore, 2001).  A traumatized child who has witnessed violence or been abused spends a great deal of energy scanning the behavior of others for signs of threat.  She becomes attuned to nonverbal cues that signal the potential for violence.  High arousal overshadows and interferes with other brain activities such as curiosity, concentration, and motivation to learn.

“Finally, studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have shown that children traumatized in the first few years have smaller brain volumes overall, in addition to other brain abnormalities, including delays in myelination, negative effects of stress hormones on the prefrontal cortex, and decreased density of corpus callosum, the network of nerve fibers that links and carries messages between the two hemispheres of the brain (DeBellis, 2005; DeBellis et al., 1999B; Teicher et al., 2004).”  (Child Development, Third Edition: A Practitioner’s Guide (Social Work Practice with Children and Families) by Douglas Davies (Hardcover – Jul 23, 2010) The Guilford Press; Third Edition (July 23, 2010) pages 51-52

++

+YET ANOTHER ARTICLE ABOUT ‘ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS ABOUT INFANT-CHILD ABUSE’

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++