​                   Yamile C. Jackson, PhD, PE, PMP will be presenting 

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Trauma and withdrawal can affect nervous-system regulation and influence a person’s experience of safety, trust, and connection. This presentation explores what infants experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), including neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), can teach us about trauma-informed care
across the lifespan. 

Drawing from lived experience, human factors engineering, developmental care, and trauma-informed practice, Dr. Yamile Jackson will examine how environments, communication practices, and care processes can either
support regulation and connection or unintentionally contribute to distress, disconnection, and powerlessness. First-line nonpharmacologic care for infants—including parental presence, skin-to-skin contact, responsive consoling, containment, and reduced environmental stimulation—will provide a practical lens for considering safety, agency, trust, and recovery.
 

The Zaky® tools will be presented as complementary case examples of how trauma-informed and human-factors principles can be translated into practical supportive-care solutions. The Zaky HUG® provides containment and 
developmental support and can carry the parent’s scent when the parent cannot be present or hold the baby. The Zaky ZAK® is designed to support safe, sustained skin-to-skin care when the parent is present. Together, they are designed to support trauma-informed, developmental, and family-centered care while preserving
continuity of connection through moments of closeness and unavoidable separation.

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Participants will consider how these principles may inform behavioral-health, recovery, and community services that preserve dignity, reduce avoidable distress, and strengthen human connection.