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Social Participation

A child’s ability to interact with peers, family, and adults can be negatively affected following exposure to a traumatic event. Social participation is engaging/interacting with others in the community and shared spaces (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020).

Children who have experienced trauma may be challenged in the following ways:

  • Hard time making friends or getting along with others

  • Feeling sad, worried, or "numb"

  • Not knowing personal boundaries

  • Struggling to talk or play with others

  • Feeling lonely or not wanting to be around people

Some strategies you can implement to address the above effects include:

  • Watch for triggers

    • Some sounds, smells, or situations might remind your child of bad experiences. Knowing these triggers can help avoid them.

  • Use an emotions chart

    • Show a chart with different feelings to help your child say how they feel. Pictures make it easier for some kids to share. Click the link for an emotions chart!

  • ​Social stories

    • Use stories with pictures to teach how to act in certain situations. You can also make your own stories. Click the link to various social stories and the ability to make one personalized to your child as well!​

  • Do activities together

    • Spend time doing things your child likes, like games or cooking, to build a bond.

  • Be a role model

    • Show how to act nicely with others so your child can copy you.

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