Every child brings unique experiences into the classroom, and some of those experiences deeply shape the way they learn. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as exposure to abuse, neglect, or household instability, can negatively affect students’ learning. In fact, research shows that past childhood trauma may influence attention, memory, emotional regulation, and even their ability to feel safe at school.
For educators, understanding how trauma affects learning is essential. When a student’s nervous system is focused on survival, academic tasks like reading, solving math problems, or working with peers can feel overwhelming. Educators who recognize these challenges can respond with empathy rather than frustration and create a supportive environment that allows every child to thrive.
Schools can make a difference. Informed practices, such as building strong relationships, offering predictable routines, and integrating movement into lessons, help students feel grounded and ready to learn. Kinesthetic learning, in particular, gives children a way to release stress, engage their bodies, and strengthen the brain pathways that support academic success.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. These can include:
All of these can erode a child’s sense of safety and stability.
ACEs are far from rare. About 64% of adults in the U.S. report having experienced at least one ACE before turning 18, and nearly one in six (17.3%) experienced four or more types.
Among high school students, the figures are just as alarming: Three in four report having experienced at least one ACE, and one in five report four or more ACEs.
Adverse childhood experiences can also have harmful physical effects. Preventing ACEs could potentially reduce:
In the 1990s, the CDC and Kaiser Permanente conducted a groundbreaking adverse childhood experiences study. Researchers surveyed more than 17,000 adults, uncovering a strong, direct link between the number of ACEs a person experienced and their health outcomes later in life.
According to CDC data, children who endure multiple ACEs are at higher risk for difficulties with learning and behavior, as well as long-term effects such as chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use. These challenges can carry into adulthood, influencing education, employment, and overall well-being.
Understanding the scope and findings of this ACEs study helps educators, families, and communities recognize that early support and intervention can change the trajectory of a child’s life.
Since the brain develops rapidly in childhood, it is especially sensitive to both positive and negative experiences.
When children are repeatedly exposed to high levels of stress without adequate support, they may experience what researchers call toxic stress. Toxic stress occurs when extended stress responses alter the nervous system, immune system, and even DNA. Over time, toxic stress enlarges the brain’s fear centers, making children more likely to develop symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
One adverse childhood experience study found that multiple regions of the brain can be affected by trauma. More specifically, the amygdala (responsible for detecting threats), hippocampus (critical for memory), and prefrontal cortex (which governs decision-making and impulse control) often show structural and functional changes in children with high ACE scores.
These changes may explain why children who have experienced trauma often struggle with memory, focus, and self-control in the classroom.
A growing body of research shows that adverse experiences influence how the brain processes emotions. Stress-induced changes in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala can weaken a child’s ability to regulate feelings, leading to heightened anxiety, irritability, or withdrawal.
One study found that greater impulse control actually helped buffer the link between ACEs and depression. For teachers, this means that disruptive behavior may not be intentional; it is often a visible sign of how trauma affects learning at the neurological level.
Within the classroom, common behavioral and emotional signs of ACEs include:
Physically, students may complain of headaches or stomachaches with no medical explanation. They may regress in skills and struggle with motivation, memory, or impulse control.
These behaviors can be easily misunderstood. For instance, a child who appears restless, inattentive, or disruptive may be showing the impact of ACEs rather than simply displaying “bad behavior”. Trauma symptoms can sometimes look like ADHD or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), leading to misdiagnosis and inappropriate interventions. These behaviors may be a child’s survival response to overwhelming stress, not a mental health disorder.
For educators, recognizing that these reactions are connected to trauma—not intentional misbehavior—creates the foundation for compassionate and effective classroom strategies. When teachers shift their perspective from “What’s wrong with this child?” to “What happened to this child?” they’re taking the first step to healing and resilience.
The impact of trauma on learning directly influences how students perform academically.
Students who have had multiple ACEs are less likely to complete homework, express interest in school, or progress through grade levels without repeating a year. Teacher reports also link ACEs with poorer ratings in literacy, reading, math, attention, and behavior in the early years of schooling.
Furthermore, research found that children exposed to violence scored lower on standardized measures of IQ and reading ability.
A study of Minnesota educational data revealed that children with a history of child protection involvement (including documented child maltreatment and exposure to violence) have significantly lower scores in reading and math compared to peers.
Beyond test scores, students who have experienced ACEs may also struggle with problem-solving and critical thinking. Trauma can weaken the brain’s ability to reason logically, adapt to new situations, or make sound decisions, which are essential skills for classroom learning.
Attendance is another area where trauma takes a toll. Students with one or more ACEs are significantly more likely to have high absenteeism rates, further disrupting learning and creating gaps in academic progress. In fact, young people who have had ACEs are twice as likely to leave school without educational qualifications, not continue their education, and be unemployed post-school.
All in all, when we look at attendance struggles, incomplete homework, or disengagement, we are often seeing a direct instance of how trauma affects learning at the classroom level. Recognizing these patterns allows educators to respond with sensitivity, shifting the focus from punishment to support. Understanding the root causes allows educators to design interventions that do more than mitigate symptoms.
Related Reading: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards in the US
While the effects of childhood trauma on learning can be profound, research also shows that preventive measures can help lessen those impacts and foster resilience.
One of these protective factors is supportive relationships with caring adults. When teachers, mentors, or school staff consistently offer safety, encouragement, and co-regulation, children learn that they are not alone in their struggles. These secure connections help stabilize the nervous system and make it easier for students to engage in learning.
Structured movement is another powerful protective factor. Exercise and physical activity increase blood flow to the brain, reduce stress hormones, and strengthen the neural pathways needed for focus and memory.
Short, intentional bursts of movement, sometimes called “brain breaks”, give students a chance to reset emotionally and cognitively. Over time, these strategies improve attention, self-control, and resilience, making it easier for children to handle the daily challenges of school life.
Math & Movement integrates the benefits of movement directly into classroom instruction. By using active math movements, floor mats, and stickers, educators can build daily kinesthetic routines that act as both academic practice and self-regulation tools.
You can get started with active math movements right away by downloading our FREE Training Manual. The PDF includes over 250 movements, perfect for transition times, between lessons, or whenever your class needs a minute to reset. They do not require any materials – only your students’ bodies, energy, and imaginations.
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These playful yet structured activities offer students a chance to release stress, reconnect with their bodies, and re-engage their brains for focused learning. By doing these exercises with their classes, educators effectively address how trauma affects learning.
The fact of the matter is, movement strategies can help children heal. A consistent rhythm of supportive relationships and kinesthetic routines transforms classrooms into places where students feel safe, capable, and ready to learn.
One of the most effective ways for schools to respond to the impact of trauma on learning is through structured, research-based approaches, like the ARC Framework. ARC stands for Attachment, Regulation, and Competency. These are the three core domains of healthy child development that trauma can disrupt:
When classrooms embed these principles, they create a supportive environment where students are met with consistency, empathy, and opportunities to rebuild the skills that trauma may have compromised. Trauma-informed classrooms are marked by predictable routines, supportive teacher-student interactions, and learning strategies that balance structure with flexibility.
Math & Movement naturally supports trauma-informed practices by adding movement into daily routines. Kinesthetic activities not only reinforce core skills but also offer the repetition and predictability that students need to feel safe.
By blending academics with physical activity, teachers are actively supporting the attachment, regulation, and competency goals of the ARC model.
Find out exactly how to use movement to support students with ACEs in our webinar below.
Prevention and healing are absolutely possible. When children grow up in safe, stable, and nurturing environments, the risks of ACEs are greatly reduced, and resilience can flourish.
Schools play a central role in this process: By addressing adverse childhood experiences in the classroom through early intervention and equitable supports, educators can help interrupt cycles of trauma and foster healthier futures.
The CDC views ACEs as a major public health challenge – one that can be addressed through community-wide action. To guide these efforts, they have identified four key priorities:
By working together, teachers, families, schools, and policymakers can move toward a future with fewer ACEs, stronger communities, and more children who are free to learn and grow.
Teaching students who carry the weight of trauma is not easy. The effects can show up in big and small ways, including through disrupted learning, challenging behaviors, or moments of quiet withdrawal. Recognizing how trauma affects learning means acknowledging just how deeply these experiences can shape a child’s journey.
And yet, there is hope. Safe, consistent relationships with caring educators, predictable routines, and trauma-informed practices at school can transform classrooms into places where healing begins. Even in the face of adversity, children can – and do – recover and thrive when given the tools, support, and compassion they need.
Math & Movement can make a difference in your students’ lives. By integrating structured movement into daily routines, our program helps children regulate emotions, focus attention, and re-engage with learning.
Our kinesthetic learning activities and materials give students a way to calm their bodies and be present in the classroom. In this way, Math & Movement directly addresses the impact of trauma on learning, creating classrooms that are academically enriching and trauma-sensitive.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) for students are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18 and can disrupt a child’s sense of safety and stability. ACEs may include abuse, neglect, household challenges, witnessing violence, or facing chronic stressors like food insecurity, homelessness, or discrimination.
Childhood trauma can affect nearly every area of a child’s brain development. Trauma alters key regions of the brain that control threat detection, memory, decision-making, impulse control, and focus. Children may struggle with anxiety, irritability, withdrawal, impulsivity, or emotional outbursts. Academically, trauma is linked to lower test scores, more grade repetition, reduced engagement, high absenteeism, and an increased risk of dropping out. Finally, childhood trauma also raises the risk for chronic health conditions and mental health struggles.
Childhood trauma can interfere with how a student’s brain processes information, emotions, and stress. When a child’s nervous system is focused on survival, it becomes much harder to:
Yes. Research shows that ACEs can have lasting effects on physical and mental health. Experiencing multiple ACEs increases the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease, depression, substance use, and suicidal behavior later in life. Toxic stress from trauma can alter the nervous system, immune system, and even DNA, making children more vulnerable to both learning difficulties in the short term and serious health problems as adults.
Early childhood trauma can shape a child’s future by influencing their learning, behavior, and overall well-being well into adulthood.
Children who endure multiple ACEs are at higher risk for difficulties with learning and behavior. They are less likely to perform well in math and literacy, complete homework, express interest in school, attend school regularly, or progress through grade levels without repeating a year.
In fact, young people who have had ACEs are twice as likely to leave school without educational qualifications, not continue their education, and be unemployed post-school.
Furthermore, as adults, children who have experienced ACEs are more likely to face chronic health problems, mental illnesses, and struggles with substance use.
ACEs can show up in the classroom as emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges. Students who have experienced trauma may:
These behaviors can sometimes be mistaken for ADHD or defiance. Recognizing them as signs of trauma allows educators to respond with compassion and provide the structure, support, and movement-based strategies students need to feel safe and learn effectively.
The landmark CDC-Kaiser ACE study, conducted in the 1990s with over 17,000 adults, found a strong, direct link between the number of adverse childhood experiences a person had and their health and well-being later in life.
The study showed that higher ACE scores were associated with:
This research revealed that childhood trauma is common and can have lifelong effects, underscoring the importance of early support, prevention, and trauma-informed care.
Movement-based learning gives students healthy ways to release stress, regulate emotions, and re-engage their brains for focused learning. Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, reduces stress hormones, and strengthens the neural pathways needed for attention, memory, and self-control.
Incorporating short, structured bursts of movement—like kinesthetic math activities or “brain breaks”—helps stabilize the nervous system and improve emotional regulation. For students with ACEs, these routines create a sense of safety, predictability, and connection, making it easier to learn and thrive in the classroom.
Suzy Koontz, CEO and Founder of Math & Movement, has spent over 25 years helping students achieve academic success. She has created over 200 kinesthetic teaching tools adopted by schools nationwide and has authored over 20 books. As a sought-after national presenter, Suzy shares how movement can transform the way students learn.
Movement isn't just for recess
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