Shootings may have shocked even babies

Don't forget about the babies, says Dr. Doug Goldsmith.

Don't forget about the little ones who were in a stroller or high chair or resting on your shoulder when the shooting began last week at Trolley Square.

Children ages 1, 2 or 3 can't talk, or can't talk very well. They can't articulate their thoughts and sentiments, but they certainly can hear scary noises, see flashing lights and sense stress and danger. And adults recovering themselves from the most startling public shooting in Utah's recent memory must pay close attention to their tiny tots.

"What most people don't realize is that trauma occurs from infancy on up," said Goldsmith, executive director of The Children's Center, which provides education and therapy for infants, toddlers and preschool age children and their families.

Children younger than 3 experience trauma in lights, sounds and smells — which sometimes makes therapy tricky and the timing of behavior related to the trauma unpredictable, Goldsmith said.

It's been more than a week since Sulejman Talovic's deadly shooting rampage in the Salt Lake City mall. The story has moved mostly off newspaper front pages.

But Goldsmith and his colleagues remain deeply concerned about the wellbeing of dozens of little ones who were there that night — the little child he saw clinging to his father's leg behind crime tape, the frightened toddler watching his grandmother's face as she recounted the night's events to television reporters.

"The important take-home message is that we should not underestimate or be cavalier about the impact of trauma on very young children," he said.

It's much the same as when an adult is driving down the road and is overcome with a particular feeling. "Whether it's a good feeling or a bad feeling, with a little thought, an adult can figure out, 'Oh yeah, this song was playing when this happened ... ,"' Goldsmith said.

A similar process happens to very young children, said Goldsmith, who has worked with the preschool population in a clinical setting since the early 1980s. "They create trauma reminders," he said. "So the next time the child hears a siren you might see an exaggerated response."

Sirens, helicopters, flashing police lights, loud noises, the sound of glass breaking, the lighted landmark Trolley Square sign. Any of the numerous stimulations from that night might trigger unusual behavior for a child.

So parents, watch closely, he says.