Until recently, children were largely neglected in the pursuit to understanding trauma. Today there is an abundance of research that details trauma-specific reactions found in children following exposure to both violent and non-violent incidents including natural disasters. Currently these reactions are being evaluated for inclusion in the revisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

As such it is important to recognize possible patterns of trauma inducing situations and its manifestation in children. Trauma is defined as experiencing or witnessing actual or threatend death and/or serious injury. Because adults manifest trauma reactions much differently than children, the following is a list of possible trauma reactions in children:

• Cognitive- shorter attention span, memory impairments, confusion, foreshortened sense of future,altered goals, anddecreased trust in adults
• Physical- loss of appetite, overeating, bowel/bladder problems, sleep disturbances, hypervigilance
• Emotional- omens and fears, nervousness, dullness, anxiety, irritability, oralertness toreminders, anger, guilt, shame, and hopelessness
• Behaviors- bed wetting, thumb sucking, nightmares, repetitive play/reenactment, clingy attachments, loss of previously learned skills (ie academic or social) and aggression

During these times of economic strain and increased school violence, it is not uncommon to witness increased trauma-likesymptoms in younger children. I would encourage parents toseek professional treatment if their child has