A child’s language and literacy development is affected by a number of outside influences, including childhood trauma. If you’re a school-based practitioner, then there’s an increased chance you’ll wind up working with children who have histories of trauma or maltreatment.

The latest forum in LSHSS highlights the effects of childhood trauma and maltreatment while providing you with tools to tailor your interventions to meet these children’s needs. Read more about the forum from Guest Editors Leslie E. Kokotek and Carol Westby below.

Addressing Childhood Trauma and Maltreatment

The guest editors and LSHSS Editor-in-Chief Karla N. Washington open the forum with an overview of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). They discuss how you can use the ICF framework when working with children who have a history of trauma or maltreatment.

Next, Sizemore and Raisor-Becker demonstrate how to use the ICF framework to support language skills of children who have experienced complex trauma. Then, Yi highlights the relationship between trauma and language disorders, providing best practices that you can use in your work.

Alper and Eulau focus on trauma-informed practices in early language intervention. Next, the guest editors return with an article on addressing intergenerational and historic trauma in children from Indigenous populations.

Working with students affected by trauma may lead to adverse effects like secondary trauma and burnout; Robinson addresses these adverse effects in her contribution to the forum. Rupert, Phoenix, and Gracia show how the ICF framework can help you shift to a holistic model of care that addresses the psychosocial needs of a child and their family. Then, Rupert, Garcia, et al. discuss how universal trauma screening can help in the early identification of children and families who need additional support.

Delivering Trauma-Informed Care

In the final article, Drs. Kokotek, Westby, and Washington return to underscore how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can apply the ICF framework to deliver compassionate trauma-informed care. They highlight that as an SLP, you have unique expertise in “addressing needs that are inextricably related to areas of the brain that are impacted by trauma and maltreatment” (Kokotek et al., 2026, p. 119).

This forum can help you integrate trauma-informed care into your daily work. We’d like to thank Drs. Kokotek and Westby, along with all of the authors and reviewers, for their work bringing this forum to ASHA members. You can read the entire forum in the latest issue of LSHSS or explore the individual articles below.

This isn’t the only forum we’re publishing this month! AJSLP is also starting off 2026 with a forum on the communication needs of individuals with severe disabilities. We look forward to spending another great year with our ASHA Journals readers.

Explore the Forum

Alper, R. M., & Eulau, K. (2026). Applying principles of trauma-informed caregiver coaching in early language intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 40–53. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00136

Kokotek, L. E., Westby, C., & Washington, K. N. (2026a). Epilogue: Forum on addressing childhood trauma and maltreatment through the lens of the ICF. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 118–122. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-25-00200

Kokotek, L. E., Westby, C., & Washington, K. N. (2026b). Forum: Addressing childhood trauma and maltreatment through the lens of the ICF. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00125

Robinson, L. A. (2026). Mindfulness and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as tools for managing secondary trauma experienced by school-based speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 70–85. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00127

Rupert, A. C., Gracia, L., Bartlett, D., Worling, J., Curran, K., Bujold, M., Dsilva, K., Portner, A., Lass, S., & Leszcz, T. (2026). Universal trauma screening in preschool speech and language services: Screening process and client profiles. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 96–117. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00144

Rupert, A., Phoenix, M., & Gracia, L. (2026). Integrating the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health contextual factors and a trauma lens to inform speech-language pathologists’ practice with children and families. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 86–95. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00122

Sizemore, E. R., & Raisor-Becker, L. (2026). Language considerations for children exposed to trauma: Perspectives through the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health lens. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00126

Westby, C., Kokotek, L. E., & Washington, K. N. (2026). Adverse childhood experiences, intergenerational trauma, and historical trauma: A child’s story. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00123

Yi, J. J. (2026). Trauma-informed care: A guide for speech-language pathologists in the schools. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 57(1), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00128