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After tragedy struck this week in Uvalde, Texas, where21 people were killed in a mass school shooting, a trauma expert speaks with PEOPLE about how the young children who survived will move forward with their lives.
Dr. Daniel Guzman, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Cook Children’s Health Care System, who is also a Medical Director for theAim for Safety Program, says that the school-aged kids who dealt with the tragedy will “definitely have long-lasting effects,” some of which will include “stress, anxiety [and] their comfort level with returning to school.”
“All these things are going to be a part of what we as parents, educators, physicians and mental health care workers are going to have to obviously respond [to] and provide these children support [with],” he continues.
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Noting that support from these groups can come “in a variety of ways,” Guzman says some important ways are “letting the children know that we’re there for them despite this horrific incident that occurred, we are here to help them get through this, and that they’re safe.”
“It doesn’t feel that way right now, obviously, given what’s happening and what we see that occasionally happens, [but], in general, kids sometimes will feel unsafe and [wonder] are they being taken care of,” he adds.
Dr. Daniel Guzman
Alongside letting children know that adult figures in their lives are “here to support them in any way,” Guzman says it is also important to monitor kids “for different signs … that they’re having a hard time with what’s going on.”
“[Look for] change in your child’s habits,” he explains to PEOPLE. “They may be more fussy or more withdrawn. Some may be more aggressive and acting out.”
“What I see in the ER, kids tend to have somatic complaints. So they’ll come in because they have a headache or abdominal pain. It’s very subjective, it’s very hard to define, but that may be a first sign that our kids are having trouble,” Guzman continues.
Explaining that adults need to “open up our ears and our eyes and just listen to our kids and what they’re telling us,” the health provider notes that “the cues in many ways may not be right in front of us, but [will be] very subtle.”
He adds: “Parents talking to their kids is really important, and if there’s any concern whatsoever, then they need to seek professional help.”
Robb Elementary School.Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Guzman also details that there will always be a long road ahead in regards to helping kids learn how to deal with their trauma.
“There’s no easy answer to this. It’s not a quick answer,” he says. “Unfortunately, to say that we can do one step and our kids will get over this and we’ll all be over this [is false]. This has long-lasting effects on all of us.”
“It’s going to take months, if not years, for these families to heal,” he continues. “The healing takes time.”
“The most important part,” Guzman notes, “is reassuring the child and then taking the time to talk and listen.”
“Support as best you can, give them all the love, and you provide them the reassurance that we are there for them,” he says.
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As for other advice on helping children to deal with their trauma, Guzman says monitoring what they are exposed to daily plays an important role.
“Kids are smart, and they’re quietly learning and hearing everything that happens in and around them,” he continues. “So they know more than we think they know.”
Adds Guzman: “I think we need to give them the benefit of the doubt that they know more than we think they do. I think we need to go ahead and talk with them age-appropriately about what they’re feeling and what they’re seeing and what they’re hearing.”
During Tuesday’s shooting in Uvalde, a small city about 85 miles west of San Antonio, the gunman barricaded himself inside an elementary school classroom, according to officials.
All of the victims — those dead and injured — were found in that room. The children killed were in the second, third and fourth grades, police confirmed.
It is believed police killed the suspect. A motive for the murders, if known, has not been released. Police also said at a Tuesday press conference that they believe the shooter acted alone.
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A handful of first responders, including a police officer, an EMT and a firefighter,recalled the horrific sceneoutside the school to PEOPLE.
“Fathers smashed windows, and physically pulled their kids out of classrooms,” said Ernest “Chip” King, a Uvalde firefighter who was one of the first responders at the scene. “There was a lot of chaos.”
source: people.com
