Breaking the Silence about Childhood Trauma — Dani Bostick

Most discussions of PTSD focus on veterans to the extent that many people who suffer from PTSD are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, especially among our children. Since PTSD can masquerade as ADHD, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and even extreme stoicism, many people suffer without access to effective treatment modalities. Dani Bostick is an educator, writer, and advocate in Winchester, Virginia. Her current work as a teacher and prior experience as a mental health counselor have given her unique insight into the impact of trauma on students and the importance of trauma-informed classrooms. As a TED-Ed Innovative Educator, Dani is a part of a global cohort of educators chosen from around the globe to amplify innovative ideas in education. For her TIE project, Dani created a toolkit to help educators maintain a healthy classroom environment while facilitating emotionally-charged classroom conversations. Dani's written work on education, mental health, and sexual violence has appeared in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Parenting, Marie Claire, and many other publications. Her first TEDx talk explored the use of the word 'victim' through the lens of her experience as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who first broke her silence and reported her perpetrator decades after the crimes occurred. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.