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Building resiliency to childhood trauma through arts-based learning.

Article Excerpt
The past several years have borne witness to a seemingly unprecedented series of natural and man-made disasters that have impacted the global community. Tsunamis, earthquakes, monsoons, hurricanes, floods, and wars have devastated communities, families, and, ultimately, children. Scarcely a day goes by without news of catastrophe; disaster, either natural or artificially induced, is becoming the norm. According to Frost (2005),

Because of the growing frequency of world terrorism and natural disasters, the need to be prepared takes on new urgency, not only with respect to prevention and early rescue of those affected, but also for those, especially children, who will suffer the lingering emotional and physical consequences. (p. 2)

NATURAL DISASTERS

Natural disasters are among the numerous events known to have a significant probability of producing trauma in school-age children (Falasca & Caulfield, 1999), given the critical mental, physical, social, and emotional development that occurs during childhood (Jabry, 2005). Studies involving children who have experienced natural disasters point to a significant increase in psychological problems along the continuum from mild anxiety to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the event (Delamater & Applegate, 1999; La Greca, Silverman, Vernberg, & Prinstein, 1996). The impact of these epic tragedies on children's emotional and cognitive well-being may lead to serious deficits in learning opportunities. The need to bridge these troubled waters has never been more powerful or pertinent. Frost (2005) suggested that due to the epic disasters of the early 21st century, "Relief workers, teachers, and other professionals must address the effects of childhood trauma on a massive scale that will test their coping skills for the indefinite future" (p. 2). Educators are being called upon to facilitate healing in a tumultuous world, not merely for the sake of the learning and development of every child, but for humanity as a whole.

Lazarus, Jimerson, and Brock (2003) suggest that a unique factor of natural disaster is that it affects the entire community, undermining the impact of the child's sense of safety and well-being. Since damage sustained in childhood cannot always be overcome later in life (Jabry, 2005), it is imperative that educators and child care professionals develop strategies to help children deal with the trauma of natural and manmade disasters. Traumatic stress may render children academically at risk, negatively affecting their ability to focus and engage in reflective analysis (Cook-Cob tone, 2004). Since teachers often spend a great deal of time with children, they must help students to process traumatic experiences to help avoid negative effects on their learning and emotional well-being. Before educators can develop learning activities to help with such processing, however, they must consider several important questions:

* How does our visual culture--which immediately portrays the stark realities of the world--impact children and childhood?

* How do teachers and parents balance protection from and preparation for the reality of today's world?

* How do we instill a sense of belonging and security while fostering empathy in children?

VISUAL CULTURE AND THE CHANGING IMAGE OF CHILDHOOD

An important issue in the field of art education is the emergence of visual culture as a sub-discipline. Due to the pervasive nature of media in our lives, the immediacy of imagery has vastly altered the reality of the way we live and the way we see--dramatically changing the ways in which we experience the world. In our media age, changes in human reality stretch far beyond children who are directly impacted by disaster. Due to the production and consumption of virtual and visual reality, childhood is no longer a safe and...