Adverse Child Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma Informed Care
Research on the biology of stress shows how major adversity, such as extreme poverty, abuse, or neglect in early childhood can weaken developing brain architecture and permanently set the body’s stress response system on high alert. Science also shows that providing stable, responsive, nurturing relationships in the earliest years of life can prevent or even reverse the damaging effects of early life stress, with lifelong benefits for learning, behavior, and health.
Resources on Adverse Child Events (ACEs)
ACEs Primer Video-This 5-minute video that explains the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study and research that revealed the link between childhood trauma and the adult onset of chronic disease, mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence (KPJR Films LLC, 2015 Vimeo, 5 minutes.)
CDC ACEs Webpage-Contains information on the original ACE study, definitions, demographics, and major findings, current data, journal articles and additional resources and presentation graphics.
Toxic Stress-Overview of the effects of toxic stress on children's health. (Center for the Developing Child, Harvard University)
How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains how the repeated stress of abuse, neglect, parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. It is a call to action for health professionals. (Nadine Burke Harris, Ted Talk 2/2015, 16:02)
How to Implement Trauma-informed Care to Build Resilience to Childhood Trauma This brief summarizes current practices for implementing trauma-informed care to support children who have been exposed to trauma for schools, medical providers, and social services. (Child Trends May 2019)
Resources for Creating Trauma-Sensitive Classrooms and Schools
- 5 Core Ideas of Helping Traumatized Children Learn- A brief description of "Helping Traumatized Children Learn" Volumes 1 & 2 by Michael Gregory of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative-TLPI, 3:16)
- Helping Traumatized Children Learn-Why We Need Trauma-Sensitive Schools Video-Highlights the importance of leadership and educators in creating understanding and infrastructure that can support the teamwork among staff needed for all children to be successful. (Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative -TLPI, 8/2017, 10:48)
- Why We Need Trauma-Sensitive Schools Video Discussion Guide-A companion guide to the video to assist in creating trauma-sensitive schools.
Trauma-Sensitive Schools Learning Modules-Provides 14 learning modules for creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools (TSS). This initiative is modeled after the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) school improvement process. (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)
Page updated 11/20/19