This six-hour course is designed to define trauma, and explain the potential impact that trauma has on language development and functioning in children. Specific topics addressed include a definition of trauma, possible causes of trauma, the impact that trauma has on the developing brain, and therefore, on language development with a particular focus on social pragmatic language. Children with trauma histories have difficulty in all language domains but particularly in social pragmatic communication, which consists of interdependent relationships among pragmatics, social cognition, executive functions, and emotional, self and sensory regulation (Huang, 2015; Hyter, 2007, 2017; Hyter et al., 2015, 2018, 2020; Perkins, 2007). Trauma- informed practices will be defined from the perspective of speech, language and hearing sciences, and best practices for trauma informed assessment and intervention will be addressed including how SLHPs can use information gained from this course to support children and families with trauma histories in homes, clinical, or educational settings.
