For most children death is a new experience. Like all other new experiences the unknown can be confusing and frightening. In my experiences working with young children I have seen how the trauma of death of close relatives and even a parent has haunted our children. Dr. Bruce Perry (n. d.), noted that “Most children do not know what to expect following the loss of a family member or friend. Young children may not understand what death really means and may be confused or even frightened by the reactions of other family members.” While adults may be more familiar with death and the grieving process, young children may not understand and thus will seek answers and comfort from adults, and other caregivers in their lives. Thus I would like some concrete activities that would help young children cope with the death of a loved one.I have chosen this sub-topic because first, recently a five (5) year old in my classroom lost a parent and it was very difficult for the team of teachers to talk to the child about the traumatic event and knowing how to help that child with the grieving process was very slim. We doubt whether we should talk about it or just ignore it. However, we were forced to intervene when the child’s behavior changed for the worse. The child became aggressive, she spoke about what happened to her mom repeatedly and even though she knew her mom will not come back she envisioned seeing her mom in her sleep. Secondly, I have a personal experience with the death one of my past pupils and I still grieve because I did not get the help I needed at the time.
This child mentioned was in therapy twice per week but she was in the classroom daily and we needed concrete activities to help the child with the grieving process. We did not do a good job in this area. I believe we have failed the child because the child transitioned to Kindergarten and the behavior continued and today I feel responsible for not intervening soon enough to help that child in her loss. My question is “Would an earlier intervention help that child in the grieving process?” I support the researchers who answered the question, ‘yes!’ Early intervention according to the four of the resources researched would help identify and recognize the trauma experienced by the child and would help us meet the needs of the child by performing assessment, and providing support.
Potential sub-topics in my opinion would be:
- How should I talk about the event
- Bereavement and support for children
- Should I be concerned with child’s behavior
- Resources and activities for grieving and traumatized children
Colleagues, do you have any suggestions or insights into helping children cope with death? Some concrete activities would be helpful. If you have to research this topic, how would you go about the research process?
Beth Patterson, (2008), working with childhood grief: A case study, stated “An understanding of the child’s emotional and cognitive development will enable me to determine how best to communicate about death with the particular child, to understand and empathize with the child’s experience and guide the child through the grieving and healing process with appropriate interventions. It is also important for me to be aware of my own triggers around death and loss in order to stay present with the child’s process and deal with the death directly, since shielding children from death deprives them of the ability to grieve and ultimately heal.”
References
Auman, J. M. (2007). Bereavement and support for children. Retrieved from http://jsn.sagepub.com/content/23/1/34.abstract
Patterson, B. (2008). Working with Childhood Grief: A Case Study in Grief, Trauma and Abuse.Retrieved from http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/childhood-grief/
Perry, B. (n. d.). The child’s loss: Death, grief and mourning. Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/child_loss.htm
Theresa,
ReplyDeleteWow this is a great topic and a very tough one for me to talk about. Even after going through loosing my dear father, it is still hard for me to put words togather on this topic.I am excited about learning from your research how to address this issue. As I believe this is something we all have to face sometime in our lives. Thank you for sharing.
The topic that you have chose is very unusual, but necessary. As an adult I lost my father, this was the first death of a person close to me and I had a hard time dealing with it. I know it must be devastating for a young child to experience the death of a parent. I am sure intervention early in this process will prove to be beneficial and lighten the trauma to the child. Developing activities or even providing books that deal with the topic of death would prove to be helpful to a young child. I wish you the best in your research project.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic....Children have a hard time deathing with death. I am a social worker in child protective services and I have a lot of kids on my case load that deals with death. These children in particular have suffered and acted out becaues they do not know how to deal with the situation. Adults have an hard time coping with death so just imagine the effect of a child. Good luck with your research.
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