Children who have suffered developmental trauma have had persistent and multifaceted adverse experiences during childhood and adolescence. Examples include abuse, rejection, and abandonment by caregivers; loss of a caregiver; exposure to interpersonal violence. These can seriously impact a child’s mental health, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships.
With impacts lasting into adulthood, treatment of adults who experienced developmental trauma as children involves a range of evidence-based therapies offered within the framework of trauma-informed care.
Understanding Developmental Trauma Disorder
Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) is a relatively new diagnosis proposed in 2012 by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and other researchers studying Complex Trauma. They did so to better define it as it relates to children and adolescents who have suffered various forms of abuse with repeated Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), when compared to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD).
DTD is not currently an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, the manual psychiatrists use to diagnose mental health conditions, but it is recognized by many clinicians as distinct from both PTSD and Complex PTSD due to its origins in childhood and its impact on development.
Children exposed to ACEs with prolonged and/or repeated trauma may go on to develop PTSD, but also may experience important shifts in their development. This has a much more negative impact on children due to their age, limited cognitive abilities, and dependency on caregivers [1].
As a result, they may have overlapping symptoms of PTSD (usually due to a single traumatic event) and a range of mental health conditions such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), psychosis, and mood and personality disorders.
As such, the diagnosis of PTSD only accounts for a subset of the symptoms they may experience.
So DTD describes a condition separate from both PTSD and complex PTSD which refer to adults. DTD specifically involves repeated exposure to trauma during childhood and has a more profound impact on a child’s development [2].
In summary, Developmental Trauma (DT) refers to the complex and pervasive exposure to life-threatening events that [1]:
- Occurs through sensitive periods of infant and child development
- Disrupts interpersonal attachments with caregivers
- Compromises the child’s safety and security
- Alters basic capacities for cognitive, behavioral, and emotional control
- Often contributes to the development of complex PTSD in adulthood, with long-term impacts on relationships, trust, and self-regulation
Causes and Risk Factors of Developmental Trauma
DTD develops not only from early interpersonal trauma. It may also result from the lack of a secure attachment relationship with caregivers which would have protected the developing child during early trauma events. Disturbances in attachment associated with DTD arise at the beginning of an individual’s lifespan development. These may include [1]:
- Parental neglect and abandonment
- Parents addicted to alcohol and drugs
- Separation from caregivers
In contrast, the events that lead to PTSD can occur at any time(s) in the life cycle.
There are many factors that can contribute to symptoms of DT, but two are of special importance: 1) whether a child has experienced trauma in the past, and 2) whether there are protective factors in the child’s development, the family, or the community. Other factors include [3]:
- Severity of the event
- Proximity to the event
- Caregivers’ reactions
- Prior history of trauma
- Family and community factors, including experiences of racism and discrimination, can increase a child’s risk for traumatic stress symptoms
Both DTD and PTSD are associated with a history of:
- Physical assault/abuse
- Family violence
- Traumatic neglect
- Emotional abuse
- Exposure to multiple types of victimization
Children with DTD are more likely to report:
- Exposure to community violence
- A caregiver impaired by mental illness, substance abuse, or criminal involvement/ and incarceration
In contrast, PTSD refers only to past physical assault/abuse. DTD almost never occurred without both interpersonal victimization and attachment disruption [3].
So the most vulnerable victims are those children and adolescents who had disrupted primary caregiver relationships and chronic family and community violence.[4]
Signs and Symptoms of Developmental Trauma in Adults
DT symptoms extend beyond those of PTSD and often occur when traumatized children and adolescents are exposed to developmental trauma(s). Key symptoms include:[1]
- Poor self-identity development
- Interpersonal sensitivity and consistent problems in relationships, including with peers, adults, and primary caregivers
- High rates of exposure to family and community violence
- High rates of co-occurring psychiatric conditions
- Chronic and debilitating medical/neurological illnesses
These traumatic stress adaptations, in turn, can contribute to experiences of emotional numbing and low frustration tolerance and precipitate behavioral outbursts that result in [1]:
- Treatment-resistant mood disturbances
- Long-term psychiatric hospitalizations (and re-hospitalizations)
- Removal from school
- Placement in foster care and juvenile justice treatment centers
Racial, ethnic, sexual, and neurodiverse minorities are affected by developmental trauma at very high rates. Systemic factors influence and significantly impact responses to trauma and recovery. These include:
- State and national policies
- Allocation of resources for prevention and intervention
- Discrimination
- Stigma
Those who have endured significant stress in their lives, especially during early childhood or adolescence, are at increased risk of experiencing avoidance, anger, frustration, and anxiety as primary ways of being in the world, regardless of their circumstances [1].
Interpersonal trauma is often linked to insecure attachment styles (e.g., anxious, avoidant, and disorganized). Disturbances in attachment lead to the emergence (and maintenance) of DT symptoms. These may not appear until interpersonal interactions, such as peer conflicts, inadequate institutional responses to trauma, and workplace challenges trigger memories of early trauma.
Repeated childhood trauma combined with the absence of parental nurturing, support, and protection can be particularly devastating and give rise to trauma. Examples include:
- Parents who are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs
- Parents are homeless, or are living in severe poverty
- Family violence
- Parental incarceration
As a result, developmental trauma is expressed in symptoms related to the inability to modulate, tolerate, or recover from extreme emotional states. Children with DTD often demonstrate [2]:
- Emotional dysregulation, including difficulty managing fear, anger, or shame
- Problems with sleep, eating, and physical regulation
- Distrust, aggression, habitual self-harm, and relational difficulties
- Long-term risks of developing anxiety, depression, and personality disorders if not addressed early
Why Early Recognition of Developmental Trauma Disorder Matters
Children with untreated DTD face serious risks in adulthood, including:
- Chronic mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder
- Substance abuse and addiction as a form of self-medication
- Inability to form or maintain stable relationships due to distrust, aggression, or over-reliance on others
- Higher likelihood of incarceration or legal involvement due to impulsivity and difficulty managing emotions
- Persistent physical health issues related to chronic stress and dysregulated nervous system responses
Understanding developmental trauma symptoms and providing trauma-informed interventions can prevent many of these long-term consequences.
Early recognition of Developmental Trauma Disorder is not just a clinical preference; it is a public health and moral imperative that changes the entire narrative of a child’s life. It moves them from a path of escalating struggle, misdiagnosis, and isolation onto a path of understanding, healing, and hope.
By seeing the true cause of a child’s distress, we can stop punishing them for their survival strategies and start giving them the specific tools they need to feel safe, to connect, and to thrive. Here’s why [5]:
1. Shift in perspective
It changes the question from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” This is the single most powerful shift in perspective.
Without a DTD framework, a child’s symptoms—hypervigilance, aggression, dissociation, inability to focus—are often mislabeled as ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), or Conduct Disorder. The child is seen as “bad,” “defiant,” or “lazy,” leading to punishment, exclusion, and a deep sense of shame.
With a DTD framework the behaviors are understood as survival adaptations. A child who is constantly on alert isn’t “not trying” to focus; their brain is wired for danger, not for learning. A child who fights back at the slightest provocation isn’t “oppositional”; they have learned that the world is unsafe and they must defend themselves. This reframing invites compassion and support instead of blame.
2. It Prevents Misdiagnosis and Ineffective (or Harmful) Treatment
Treating the wrong problem is ineffective and can be re-traumatizing. Stimulants for ADHD will not calm a terrified nervous system; they may even exacerbate anxiety. Behavioral charts and punishment for ODD will not address the profound fear and lack of trust underlying the behavior. It simply reinforces the child’s belief that adults are untrustworthy and punitive.
Accurate DTD recognition leads to trauma-informed therapies like Trauma-Focused CBT, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, and neurofeedback, which are designed to regulate the nervous system, build attachment, and process traumatic memories.
3. It Interrupts the Trajectory of Chronic Mental and Physical Illness
Developmental trauma embeds itself in the body and brain, setting a lifelong course if left unaddressed. The ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study conclusively shows a strong, graded relationship between childhood trauma and future risk of heart disease, cancer, substance abuse, depression, suicide, and more [5].
Early intervention can literally rewire the brain (through neuroplasticity). By providing safety, co-regulation, and corrective experiences, the risk of these devastating long-term outcomes can be lowered. The brain is most malleable in childhood; we must intervene while this window is wide open.
4. It Protects and Restores the Capacity to Learn
A brain in survival mode cannot access its “thinking brain”. Trauma disrupts executive functions—memory, attention, and problem-solving. Children with unrecognized DTD often struggle academically, are suspended or expelled, and are mislabeled as having learning disabilities. Early recognition allows schools to implement trauma-sensitive practices.
5. It Fosters Healthy Attachment and Relationships
The core of developmental trauma is often relational—it happens within caregiving relationships. This distorts a child’s template for all future relationships. Early intervention provides adaptive relational experiences with safe, attuned adults, helping to build the foundation for secure attachment.
6. It Validates the Child’s Pain and Reduces Shame
When a child’s suffering is named and understood, their experience is validated, and feelings of shame are reduced. They learn that their reactions are normal responses to abnormal circumstances, not a personal failing. This is a profound relief and the first step toward healing.
Corner Canyon’s Trauma Informed Treatment Approach
At Corner Canyon HC, treatment of those who may have experienced DTD involves addressing safety, building trust, and repairing attachments. The primary elements include:
- Trauma-Informed Care: Creating a safe and predictable environment; promoting self-regulation; and helping adults reflect on and integrate their trauma.
- Evidence-Based Therapies: We use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-TF), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Brainspotting, among other approaches.
- Holistic Approaches: Mindfulness meditation, nutritional psychology, and equine therapy are all a core part of our program.
- Medication: In cases where co-occurring mental health conditions (like severe anxiety or depression) are present, antidepressants may be used judiciously.
Find Comprehensive Treatment for Trauma Disorders in Utah
Treatment for mental health conditions and trauma is available in Utah. Are you or a loved one looking for a compassionate space to heal from anxiety, trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, other mental health conditions, or addictions? Our licensed trauma-informed professional therapists and counselors at Corner Canyon Health Centers can provide compassionate help using a range of therapeutic and holistic techniques.
Reach out to our Admissions team now at Corner Canyon. We’re in a peaceful setting bordered by the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.
Sources
[1] Cruz, D.,et al. (2022). Developmental trauma: Conceptual framework, associated risks and comorbidities, and evaluation and treatment. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 800687.
[2] Attachment & Trauma Network nd. Developmental Trauma Disorder.
[3] National Child Traumatic Stress Network. nd. About Child Trauma.
[4] Spinazzola, J. & Ford J. nd. When Nowhere is Safe: The Traumatic Origins of Developmental Trauma Disorder. ISTSS
[5] CDC. 2025. About Adverse Childhood Experiences.
