When traumatic experiences occur early in life, and particularly when the experiences include a loss of safety such as witnessing violence or experiencing abuse or neglect many core aspects of development can be disrupted and result in delayed developmental capacities. These children are described as having experienced developmental trauma because their developmental energies were consumed with day-to-day survival and management of stressful experiences. As they grow older several domains of developmental impairment are observed. It is these underlying domains of impairment that need to be addressed if we are to see improvements in their emotional and behavioral self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, and academic functioning.
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