You may have heard this term and have wondered what it stands for. Simply put, the acronym ACEs means Adverse Childhood Experiences. ACEs are very serious traumas or experiences that can happen to a child or a family member. Some of these experiences may include domestic violence, living with a person with mental illness, divorce, any kind of child abuse, drug abuse, homelessness, and racism. These experiences can cause toxic stress which can lead to social challenges, cognitive delays, and physical health concerns in young children. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network states, "Young children who experience trauma are at particular risk because their rapidly developing brains are very vulnerable. Early childhood trauma has been associated with reduced size of the brain cortex." With early childhood trauma, children, who can't really express how they are feeling or process why they feel a certain way, will not only experience psychological and behavioral issues, but especially social-emotional difficulties.
As an Intervention specialist, I already knew about ACEs and some of the effects on young children, however, I learned more about complex trauma. Complex trauma "events are severe and pervasive, such as abuse or profound neglect. They usually occur early in life and can disrupt many aspects of the child’s development and the formation of a sense of self. Since these events often occur with a caregiver, they interfere with the child’s ability to form a secure attachment. Many aspects of a child’s healthy physical and mental development rely on this primary source of safety and stability. " While the acronym is simple, the study of the effects of ACEs are complex and can disrupt the development of the whole child. As an educator, it is important to know about ACEs because sometimes when monitoring children's development, we may see a delay, but we have to be careful not to assume what is causing a delay because it may be a delay due to trauma events. We also want to be aware of these events so that we can be informed and learn how to teach young children who may be dealing with the effects of ACEs.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study) is a research study conducted by the U.S. health maintenance organization Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was originally published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine between 1995-1997 found that 87% of people had experienced 1 ACEs event. About 40% of the participants reported two or more ACEs and 12.5% experienced four or more. The more ACEs experiences signify a high probability of early death due to suicide, drug use, or health problems. (Pictured is statistics for the UK)
2nd Picture depicts the effects of ACEs on the different parts of a child's body.
An ex-Army major and his wife are fighting charges connected with abusing the three foster children, ages 9-11 that they cared for. The allegations include that the children had, "suffered broken bones and were severely underweight and had other health problems when they were removed from the home in 2010...the couple forced the children to eat hot pepper flakes and drink hot sauce as punishment." The couple is also accused of withholding food and water as punishment. A fourth foster child that was in the home also died while in their care. The tragic events would be abandonment by biological parents, emotional abuse due to extreme punishment, and neglect abuse caused by withholding food and water.
A child who is experiencing the trauma from being in foster care, emotional abuse, and neglect according to Effects | The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (nctsn.org) some of the symptoms or behaviors that we might immediately see are either an extremely withdrawn child or one who is dysregulated and aggressive. We may see the child hoarding or stealing food because they are afraid that they may not have enough food to eat. The child may also find it difficult to attach or trust adults, they may have trouble sleeping, remembering things, and expressing emotions appropriately. In the future, the child may become an adult who has feelings of worthlessness; so, they may self-harm or rely on alcohol or drugs to ease the pain. They may also face health issues due to malnourishment and possibly cognitive delays that will impact their ability to care for themselves financially. Children who suffer complex trauma may even become parents who inflict abuse on their children. We can see that the effects of ACEs really are long lasting and can be generational.
What can educators do to mitigate trauma?
According to the CDC.gov visual on ACEs, one thing that educators can do is educate themselves on the effects of trauma and be alert to children in our care who may need additional support. As educators, a first step to mitigate trauma is to build nurturing, safe, and trusting relationships with children and parents. One way we can do this in the classroom is by having feelings check in daily and making time to have conversations with students. When those we teach feel safe, they can be open about their challenges and then we can be in a better position to support them. Educators should, lastly, be aware of resources such as PCIT, play therapy, and child therapists that may offer the needed support for the child and family.
Community Resources -
The CIRCLE Clinic -
The CIRCLE clinic, which stands for Comprehensive Integration of Resilience into Child Life Experiences is a clinic located in the Sacramento County Health Center that provides primary care and behavioral health services to Sacramento County's low-income residents. This clinic is geared toward helping children in foster care with wrap around services that include all caregivers and stakeholders in the child's life. One of the team members of the clinic, UC Davis pediatrician Albina Gogo, points out why this clinic is needed, “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including being in the foster care system, can create trauma and impact the health and wellbeing of children. The CIRCLE clinic provides comprehensive, trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive health care to help instill resilience into these children’s lives, resulting in better long-term health outcomes and more stable foster home placements,” Gogo said. The clinic is working with community members to provide high quality services, such as:
coordinate and provide mental health services in partnership with the UC Davis CAARE Center
screen and refer for any behavior and developmental concerns in partnership with providers at the UC Davis MIND Institute
connect the child and family with appropriate resources in the community
Contact Information
CIRCLE clinic located in the Sacramento County Health Center
4600 Broadway Sacramento, CA 95820 | Map Telephone:(916) 874-9670
References
Cook, A. Spinazzola, J., Ford, J., Lanktree, C., Blaustein, M., Sprague, C., Cloitre, M., DeRosa, R., Hubbard, R., Kagan, R., Liautaud, J., Mallah, K., Olafson, E., van der Kolk, B., (2007). Complex trauma in children and adolescents. Focal Point, 21(1), 4-8.
Effects | The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (nctsn.org)
Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | ECLKC (hhs.gov)
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