Children and adults across the US are struggling to come to terms with the shock of yesterday's deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Support systems – including parents, caretakers, teachers, siblings and peers – are essential to helping children understand and cope with fear and tragedy. In the aftermath of yesterday's deadly shooting in Florida, families search for the best ways to support their children's psychological needsChildren show different signs of trauma at different agesPreschoolers and young children may ask questions and revert to more toddler-like habitsWhen children are very young, their understanding of emotions – even their own – is quite limited. She also advises that, more than anything, 'a younger child needs to know that [a shooting] is not going to happen again.' Dr Dass-Brailsford, who studies trauma, says that younger children maybe concerned with their own safety, whereas older and adolescent children tend to be more interested in the specifics of the shooting, and even 'revenge.'

Source: Daily Mail February 15, 2018 23:48 UTC