Neuroscientific Perspectives on Teaching College Students with Post-Traumatic Stress or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at Small Institutions: Effective Strategies and Recommendations for Academic Success

Undergraduate students face a range of cognitive, emotional, and academic challenges during college. For U.S. military veterans and individuals with trauma histories, these challenges are often intensified by symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study explores the academic experiences of such students at small colleges (typically enrolling under 5,000 students), where mental health resources may be more limited. It examines how trauma-related impairments in attention, memory, and emotional regulation affect learning and performance. The research highlights opportunities for small colleges to adopt trauma-informed teaching strategies grounded in neuroscience. We offer evidence-based recommendations for flexible, supportive practices to promote resilience and success, contributing to efforts to build context-sensitive academic support systems for students with trauma-related challenges.