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| Tuesday, 11 January 2005 |
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Initial post-trauma help for pre-schoolers by Shanthi Wijesinghe Exec. Committee President - AMDE, Sri Lanka, Vice Chairperson, CCECD-Sri Lanka (PIYAWARA) Through past experience of working with and observing teachers following explosions and bomb blasts in Colombo (and as human beings) we will walk into schools this term with our tongues wagging about the horrendous disaster which took place on our shores on December 26th.
The little ears and eyes have already seen and heard so much and will no doubt want to add on. Post-trauma situations are somewhat alien to our society. We tend to repeat and sigh over tragedy, and drag the children around us into the conversation which then results in an outbreak of nightmares even for those who have not been directly affected. Children who have witnessed or experienced the disaster will have spells of dizziness, clinging, acting out and regressive behaviour, illness and psychosomatic problems and exhaustion. Here is a guideline to pre-school educators and Heads of pre-schools so that you will be equipped to handle your charges in the first month after school starts. Be truly dedicate to all children and serious about your work and learn more on effective post-trauma methodology. * Forget your work and the syllabus for some time. * You will have to force a smile if you have lost someone in this tragedy - the key to recovery is work and working with children is a great source of comfort. * Watch out for unfamiliar children in the new admissions. Check for authenticity of birth certificates. Adults may pose off as genuine parents. Report all such cases to the NCPA on 2778911-4 if you become suspicious. You will be doing a great disfavour to the child if you are to ignore the issue. * Do not handle difficult children when you are traumatised. You need more time for yourself. Arrange to have longer breaks. * Get children to use the arts as a medium of expression - music and dancing are best. * Give plenty of free drawing activities. * Give paints and crayons for colouring. What we noticed in the many camps was that children were left to amuse themselves. The moment they were given paper and paints/crayons the energy was directed to this activity. Experienced educators say dance and music has the same effect - if not stronger. * Encourage children to talk about the disaster - do not prod or ask questions, just listen. * If they want your opinion, be prepared to give the facts. Do not say someone has gone to sleep. Use the actual word - died/dead. * Explain to them that their loved ones will always love them but that they cannot be with them from now on. * Children who have not been directly affected too may react somewhat strongly to leave parents behind when coming into school. Allow parents in. Forget rules for a while. * Children will continuously draw in black - especially black swirls. This will go on for probably a month even for those directly not affected by the disaster. For children directly affected like losing parents, siblings or grandparents or other extended family members they may take longer and will need your constant attention for at least 3-4 months. * Attention does not mean sympathy. They will need your empathy. Therefore, whatever you do make children feel wanted and loved. Making them feel that they are all alone in the world by giving into all their demands will aggravate the process of development and coping. Get children to help themselves. * The shock when a child has seen a parent or sibling being washed away can also bring about guilt feelings. Reassure them that they are not to blame. * In many instances they will need information. 4-5 year olds are quite able to understand - Do not underestimate their potential. They get rather irritated when they know you are not giving them facts. * Give them responsibility within their capabilities. Often children want to show they are strong. Do not discourage them in this. Begin by giving them small chores each morning on arrival and change the activities frequently so that their mind stays alert and can take on change quickly. * When there is much attention showered on children they tend to take advantage even in normal circumstances. Therefore those children who are affected will look for and take advantage of their situations. This is a natural tendency. You will need to lay some light ground rules and ignore when such rules are broken for the first one or two months. * When a child needs to be corrected see that this is done in private. * Do not speak over the heads of the little ones about gory details you want to disclose to others. If you must, do it when the children leave. * Avoid standing in groups with adults (parents and other teachers) before or after school to discuss what you have experienced or someone else's experiences within hearing of the children. * Children usually extend themselves into imagery. Therefore they may actually believe that they too were involved. Do not label them as liars. By talking to them you may find out what they are actually going through. * Craft activities are a great source of expression. Give them plenty of reusable material. The following list includes some of the reactions you may see in children: * Crying/depression * Inability to concentrate * Frequent visits to the toilet or even wetting themselves without prior notice * Thumbsucking * Not wanting to attend school * Nightmares * Headaches * Clinging/fear of being left alone * Changes in eating and sleeping habits * Regression to previous behaviours * Excessive fear of darkness fighting * Increase in physical complaints Here are some tips that will help children recover: * Offer hugs - do this in such a way to show children you care. Lightly place your arm around the child's shoulders. If she wants a hug she will lean into you. Do not grab them in bear hugs. The suddenness of the act might scare them away. * Reassure the child frequently that he/she is safe. (Work with caregivers closely and tell them that they will need to spend extra time with the child at bedtime.) * Allow children to grieve about their lost treasures; a toy, a blanket, a lost home. For more information about handling children in post-trauma situations please contact the CCECD office on 2787048/9 and link up with our programmes on post-trauma teacher-education. This is one of the disasters we have faced and we were totally unprepared. Let us learn how to handle such situations effectively in the future. The CCECD was set up on 24th November, 2004 and functions under the name of PIYAWARA. We Pre-school teachers are equipped with the necessary skills and form part of the essential network in the effort to re-build Sri Lanka. Networks of Pre-school and primary teachers are urgently needed to work with us on short-term and long-term programmes. This is not a time to sit back and say you have done your bit by sending out supplies to the affected. We have all done this. The children who have seen, experienced and lived through this calamity is the future of Sri Lanka and they cannot carry the scars of this tragedy for the next 10 years. Working on long-term programmes is the only next step to the success of all Sri Lankan citizens. Teachers, parents and caregivers are kindly requested to send in requests for programmes to PIYAWARA as we are currently working on a national plan to include you in future training programmes. The type of qualification and the certificate you possess is useless if you cannot put your name on the list of contributors to the cause of re-building this country at grass-roots level. Every educator notwithstanding your designation is expected to know coping strategies in time of crisis so that the children in your care will be given the best of care and attention. Counselling is a secondary step which needs qualified staff. The immediate need is for children to be handled effectively. Please join our effort. |
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