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Suggested viewing: Video - Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: Trauma and the Brain

Cycle of adversity: Research shows that kids who have experienced trauma are disciplined more in school and are more likely than peers to get kicked out of positive, safe programming. This impacts their academic achievement and likelihood of incarceration. That means that the students who could benefit from healing-centered physical activity are the most likely to be kept away from it!

Source: Adversity in childhood is linked to mental and physical health throughout life

Illustration: Trauma Cycle

Scientific origins: Much of our modern understanding about youth trauma comes from a 1994 study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permante called the Adverse Childhood Experience study. “This study identified experiences for youth up to 17 years old that connected with adult health risk behaviors.”

Economic and social cost of childhood trauma: The economic and social costs to families, communities, and society totals hundreds of billions of dollars each year. A 10% reduction in ACEs in North America could equate to an annual savings of $56 billion. This is because ACES increase the risk of worse physical and mental health across the lifespan.
Source: CDC.gov

Suggested viewing: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris TEDTalk - How Trauma affects health along a lifetime

Recommended viewing:

  • Dr. Bruce Perry: Rhythm heals the brain
  • Dr. Bruce Perry: Understanding Regulation
  • Dr. Bruce Perry: Patterns of Stress and Resilience
  • Crisis and Trauma Resource Center: Childhood Resilience & The Role of Rhythm

Case study 
In his 2010 book, SPARK, Dr. John Ratey studied an entire school district that was trying out a new physical activity strategy, called Zero Period PE. Students were offered one hour of movement and PE programming prior to school starting. Mostly what they did was individual movement, like yoga and walking and running. After only one semester, not only were obesity levels down and fitness levels up, but students who took part in the early-morning PE program showed 1.34 of a year’s growth on standardized reading tests. In similar groups of students who were not taking part in before class movement, the gain was .70 of a year. In 1999, Naperville’s eighth graders were among some 230,000 students from around the world who took an international standards test called TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), which evaluates knowledge of math and science. Up to that point, students in China, Japan, and Singapore had outpaced American kids in these subjects, but when Naperville students took the TIMSS, they finished first in the world in science and sixth in math. Source: Edweek Article, SPARK Read about the Naperville School District and Dr. John Ratey’s book on physical activity and achievement, SPARK.

Recommended reading:
Dr. Chuck Hillman, Univ. of Illinois: “The impact of Exercise on the Brain and Learning”
CDC: School based physical activity social emotional climate for learning
Phys.org: Physical activity and the attainment gap

Co-Regulation Strategies for Youth Workers

Further reading:

Green schoolyards can improve academic outcomes

Moving Learning Outdoors

Greening the outdoor clasroom

Video: Richard Louv on Education

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Welcome to Move & Thrive

Moving our bodies--during the school day, at home, and in other settings--can help us feel our best, and do our best at things we care about. Some types of movement, and ways of engaging with others through movement, are particularly helpful for managing stressful situations. This introductory educational resource is for teachers, other school staff members, coaches, parents, and other adults who work with youth.

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