According to the Center for Disease Control, one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually assaulted by an adult at some point during their childhood. Child abuse is a vicious cycle. When a child is abused, it has a chilling effect on their ability to succeed in life. For example, adults who were abused as children are twice as likely to become abusers themselves. The majority of incarcerated people were abused as children. It's no wonder that childhood trauma has such a horrific impact on a person's personality and brain. Trauma is a serious consideration in special education. When a child is exposed to a traumatic event, such as abuse, neglect or death, it can have a permanent effect on their mental health. Although childhood trauma causes many effects, neurotransmitter brain chemistry is most affected. First of all, a person might wonder what neurotransmitters are. A perfect example is a lock and key. Neurotransmitters are keys and each activates different receptors (locks). Today, there are known to be sixty chemicals that play a role in the transfer of information throughout the brain and body, each of which affects thinking, feeling, and behavior differently. It is during childhood that a person is most impressionable. Therefore, when a child has experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse, these events play a major role in the connections with their brain and how that person will react to a given situation. If a child were frequently abused, their brain would continually be on high stress alert. According to The Healing Center-On Line, studies of the physiological effects of trauma have revealed profound and substantial effects within multiple interconnected neurobiological systems...... middle of article...... and many efforts to repair damaged connections in their brains. After the trauma, the person may be haunted by nightmares or constantly bothered by their inability to fully remember the incident, due to the damaged hippocampus. Trauma is a more upsetting event than a person might normally face. Therefore, the individual would suffer from many effects including eternal changes such as thought process, inability to learn properly, difficulty in trusting people, difficulty in socializing, and basically inability to live life to the fullest without distraction. If anyone knows of a child at risk of abuse, they should call 1800-4-A-child. The longer the child is traumatized, the greater the effects on their brain chemistry and the less likely they will be to overcome the damage to live a normal life...