Psychological Intervention and Childhood Trauma

The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog
1
The differences between being human and being humane are that humans have the capacity to act both rightly and wrongly, good and bad. Being humane is when a human acts in a positive and healthy and helpful manner towards others; it is the opposite of being inhumane. Being human is what it means to be comprised of both good and bad elements, faults and failings as well as good points and virtues. So being human encapsulates everything that humanity has to offer up, while being humane is much narrower in its definition, encapsulating only those good qualities and aspects of our humanity. From my own personal history, I can look at my parents’ relationship and describe it as very human because they fight, they make up, they fight some more. They have moments, however, where they are very humane towards others—very understanding and positive and supportive—even if this isn’t always the case with how they approach one another.
2
The authors’ main idea is that trauma and abuse harms children mentally, and traumatized children need help from nurturing adults so that they can have normal, healthy lives as they grow up. Perry and Szalavitz (2006) do come back to this main idea as they examine the various cases. For instance, with Tina, they show that abuse really affects a child’s brain; with Sandy, they show that children are not robots to be programmed but rather little human beings who should be allowed some independence and the ability to make decisions on their own so that they can engage with the maturation process; with Justin, they show that trauma does not have to be the end of children, that through help they can overcome their situations and develop healthy lifestyles; with Laura, they show how simply acts of love and compassion can have a positive effect on the body.
3
The coloring activity helps him to bond with the kids. It disarms them from their suspicions (as in the case with Sandy). Sandy is suspicious of the doctor but as Perry continues to color, Sandy also wants to start coloring. Once disarmed, Perry can begin to probe and he monitors her coloring as a gauge of how close she is being pushed to “painful memories” (Perry, 2006, p. 44). His techniques include coloring in silence, inviting them to color with him, watching them color, and coloring with them, as Perry does with Tina—which, in fact, he enjoys doing because it is something that helps cut the ice between them (Perry, 2006, p. 12).
4
I believe the children in the book have an opportunity to experience a normal adult life because they have adults who are now there helping them and providing a positive impact on the children’s psyches and allowing them to develop in a more positive way. Yes, they have been traumatized, but they have not been totally abandoned—and that is the point of the book. As Perry and Szalavitz (2006) note, “a little pain now [in the form of some therapeutic intervention] could help protect [the traumatized children] from a lot of pain later” (p. 43).
5
Failure to thrive is explained as emotional neglect that causes children to not develop the way they are supposed to—they lose weight or don’t grow (Perry and Szalavitz, 2006, p. 88). The key points of this chapter are that emotional connectivity is crucial to child development. The causes of a failure to thrive are typically the parents’ inability to connect with the child and the lasting problems associated with the condition include regression and even “reduced levels of growth-hormone” (Perry, Szalavitz, 2006, p. 92).
6
A good environment is one in which there is support, love, and care for children in a home that is stable and nurturing. Cultural and economic factors will impact an environment, as in Tina’s case.
7
As Perry and Szalavitz (2006) state, Tina “lived in an environment where neither explicit or implicit lessons were taught” (p. 43)—so she lacked an understanding of things as simple as taking turns; she had no patience. She had to be educated. She was not a lost cause—all that was required was a capable adult to intervene and provide those elements of a good environment that were missing.
8
Leon’s condition is the result of environmental factors: he “had been deprived of the critical stimuli necessary to develop the brain areas that modulate stress and link pleasure and comfort with human company” (Perry, Szalavitz, 2006, p. 112). His mother Maria was not wholly to blame as she was limited and the father had to work to support the family; their move to the inner-city did not help because it separated them from family back home who could help with the children. What we can learn from his story is that children need human connection; regardless of where it comes from, it has to be there.
9
The lessons Perry learned from Justin were that “patterned, repetitive experience in a safe environment” coupled with care and affection for the child can help improve the brain (Perry, Szalavitz, 2006, p. 134). From Connor, Perry learned how important to it is to help kids learn social cues and to meet their developmental needs step by step.
10
Both are important. Nature can impact a body as much as nurture can but ultimately, nature is impacted by environment. Leon and Connor are two examples: Leon’s environment never assisted his nature; Connor’s environment eventually improved with the help of Perry.
11
Socioeconomic class and race have their place in his work—but he admits to feeling guilty about the “luck” of the poor neighborhoods—for example when he drives through Chicago (Perry, Szalavitz, 2006, p. 17). He handles these issues as he does with all cases—by attempting to address the human needs not being met.
12
RAD is Reactive Attachment Disorder. A child acquires the disorder when basic needs are not met—such as comfort, affection and nurturing. The symptoms are inappropriate ways of relating socially, such as no connection with caregivers or parents.
13
Perry suggests children and all people can thrive by being shown care, concern and consideration. We all have the same needs—and empathy, time, patience, affection and understanding can make all the difference.
14
There is no respect for the body as it is: people want to ignore what the body needs in order to develop properly; they think drugs can solve everything. They don’t want to spend the time it takes to give the support and nurturing to children that they need. I agree with Perry’s assessment.

References
Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2006). The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories
from a child psychiatrist's notebook – What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing. New York, NY: Basic Books.