Child Life Trauma-Informed Care Flashcards
7 cards from real Child Life Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Child Life Trauma-Informed Care flashcards as text
What is the primary goal of trauma-informed care in pediatric healthcare settings?
Answer: To recognize the impact of trauma and promote safety, trustworthiness, and empowerment
Trauma-informed care aims to recognize the widespread impact of trauma and integrate that knowledge into practice by promoting safety, trustworthiness, and patient empowerment.
Which of the following best describes the significance of the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study for child life practice?
Answer: It shows a dose-response relationship between childhood adversity and negative health outcomes across the lifespan
The ACEs study revealed that the more adverse childhood experiences a person has, the greater their risk for negative health, behavioral, and social outcomes—a dose-response relationship.
A child who experienced a traumatic previous hospitalization is scheduled for surgery. Which child life approach best reflects trauma-informed care?
Answer: Assess the child's prior experience, validate feelings, and collaboratively develop a coping plan with input from the child and family
Trauma-informed care involves assessing prior experiences, validating the child's feelings, and collaborating with the child and family to restore a sense of control and predictability.
The SAMHSA framework for trauma-informed care includes the '4 Rs.' Which of the following correctly identifies all four?
Answer: Realize, Recognize, Respond, Resist re-traumatization
SAMHSA's 4 Rs are: Realize the widespread impact of trauma, Recognize signs of trauma, Respond by integrating trauma knowledge, and Resist re-traumatization.
When a hospitalized child exhibits hypervigilance and an exaggerated startle response, the child life specialist should recognize these as potential indicators of:
Answer: A trauma response that may indicate prior adverse experiences affecting the child's nervous system
Hypervigilance and exaggerated startle response are hallmark signs of a sensitized nervous system due to trauma exposure, not simply behavioral or pharmacological issues.
Which of the following environmental modifications best supports a trauma-informed approach in the hospital setting?
Answer: Minimizing unnecessary loud noises, offering predictable routines, and providing choices about the physical environment
Trauma-informed environments minimize sensory overload, offer predictability, and restore patient agency through choices—all of which reduce activation of trauma responses.
A core principle of trauma-informed care that differentiates it from traditional approaches is the shift in perspective from:
Answer: 'What is wrong with you?' to 'What happened to you?'
Trauma-informed care reframes the clinical lens from pathologizing the child's behavior to understanding it as a response to adversity—asking 'What happened to you?' rather than 'What is wrong with you?'