Trauma Affecting Refugee Students

Another issue that may affect refugee students is trauma. Although all students may experience trauma at some point in their lives, it is refugees who are at a higher risk of trauma. There are two forms of trauma, simple trauma and complex trauma. Refugees will most likely have experienced complex trauma, which means they have been subjected to a long duration of multiple incidences such as rape, torture, war or witnessing the death of another person (Mooren & Stöfsel, 2014, pp. 3-4). This can significantly affect a refugee’s education, as their mental and emotional state will be very fragile, due to them not being unable to separate themselves from the reality of their experiences, feeling and relationships (Malaguzzi, 1994, 3/94). To add to these children’s stresses, they may have no …show more content…
Firstly, teachers need to have a comprehend the impact of the environment children are raised in and be able to identify the types of behaviours associated with trauma to support these students. These behaviours may include aggression, difficulty establishing and maintaining friendships with peers, learning difficulties and depression (Mooren & Stöfsel, 2014, p. 13). Secondly, educators need to extend their support by finding out about the student’s family background, their culture and the language is spoken at home to understand the circumstances of the student. Teachers can also be proactive and liaise with the school guidance officer, who can provide information on community services that could assist the student and their family (QPASTT, n.d., p. 11) Finally, teachers will need to gain the students trust to ensure the student feels safe in their learning environment. This can be done by teachers maintaining a classroom routine, providing a time out space when these students get overwhelmed, and reassuring the student that they can confide in them about any issue they may be experiencing (ANU, 2010, pp.