walked into the toddler room, which should be a den of activity and noise, rambunctiousness, you had several very quiet little toddlers who were just looking at you frightened. and one little girl who was just sobbing in the middle of the floor. and couldn t be consoled. the workers who were in the room were trying to help this little girl out. they were giving her a book and a toy. but they couldn t distract her. and they weren t allowed to hold her or touch her. so this child was really in a great deal of pain. and the rest of us felt so helpless because we knew she needed her mother. and we couldn t give that to her. i guess the reason they re not allowed to touch a toddler or an infant is for to prevent any kind of abuse. at the same time, the idea of a child not getting any kind of affection is it s kind of stunning.
but the kids weren t saying anything and the only noise you heard was in the middle of the room from a bill 18 month old girl who was just scream asking crying and wailing and couldn t be consoled. and the worker who was there next to her was trying to give her toys and trying to give her books and trying to comfort her. but wasn t allowed to pick her up and wasn t allowed to console her. we looked at that really abnormal room with these very quiet and one crying toddler and knew that these kids were traumatized and what they needed was their parents. dr. redler, can you take a little bit about the physiological and psychological fix of what dr. kraft is describing? it s important to understand that these children who have been stressed like this have had a tremendous release of stress hormones, court sole and the other fight or flight hormones.
visiting some of these facilities? i think the toddler room has been the biggest mimage in my mind. besides this little girl, who was just sobbing and wailing and couldn t be consoled, there w several other toddlers in the room. i been told they had been brought there between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. the night before. they were all crying and calling for their mommy. in this room, everybody else was silent. where else do you see a group of toddlers who are quiet? what went through your mind, as you re watching that? what went through my mind was that i wish i could do something as a pediatrician, as a human being, to help these children now. but i know that what they need are their parents. they need their mothers, their fathers, those adults who can care for them and love them. dr. colleen craft, thank you