Children's Reactions

Children's Responses to a Crisis

How Do Children Typically Respond to a Crisis or Disaster?

Their responses fall into four main categories:

• Fear of the future

• Behavioral regression

• Academic regression

• Nightmares and/or night terrors

How Can We Help Children After a Tragedy?

It is important to give them the facts in age-appropriate terms and to give them permission for a range of emotions. Every child has a story to tell and we need to listen and answer questions. The National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) Model of Group Crisis Intervention has many applications for use in the schools. Each student and teacher in a classroom sits in a circle and the facilitator begins by asking sensory perception questions, thus guiding students to a discussion of emotions, prediction of the future and identification of coping skills. Additional information on this model, with which many school psychologists are familiar, is available at 1-800-TRYNOVA. It is also very important that students have the opportunity to express emotions through artwork, music and writing. Meetings between school staff and parents are important to help them understand the typical reactions of children and to provide the adults with guidance to help the children.

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