ROANOKE, Va. – We’ve shown you several stories lately regarding sexual predators, but parents may be wondering what this can do to a child mentally.
We sat down with an expert in adverse childhood experiences Wednesday, who tells us traumatic events like this can stick with a child for life.
If left unaddressed, these adverse experiences can impact a child’s brain development, as well as interfere with learning.
In the long haul, it can lead to alcohol abuse, depression and suicide.
“That can have a phenomenal effect on a child’s development, it can impact their entire body. So this is something that we really need to be working on. It can cause children to have behavioral issues, it can cause things like poor academic performance, it can cause defiance,” Prevention and Wellness Specialist at Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare Cynthia Levasseur said.
But she said these events do not need to define a child’s trajectory in life.
Getting a child psychological help early, as well as modeling self-care, and resilience through strong, nurturing relationships can help them move forward.
Free parenting workshops to help children through adverse events can be found here.