WALNUT CREEK -- Communities filled with children who have been abused, neglected or are victims of trauma can include high levels of crime and violence, poor student performance and mental health issues.
Contra Costa County has joined about 30 other communities throughout the world striving to become "trauma-informed" to better serve those children and families. In these areas, brain development researchers and nonprofit organizations are teaming up with child care providers, educators, parents and doctors -- and even business leaders, police and the criminal justice system -- to change the way traumatized children are diagnosed and treated.
The ultimate goal is that everyone who works with kids will understand how brains develop and have a better idea about which treatments work best for trauma-related mental and physical problems.
"The risk for heart disease is higher for those with high-risk childhoods than for those who smoke," said Dr. Bruce Perry, who works with a nonprofit organization that consults with communities about trauma. "
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