Toxic Stress, Trauma, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Of the roughly 74 million children in the United States, just under 51 million are preK–12 public school students. Every day, 13 million of these children go hungry. A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. And 2.7 million have a parent in prison. Our children are living in a state of emergency.
How can we expect children to learn when they are in a constant state of fight or flight?
Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente conducted the first study on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) from 1995 to 1997, ACEs did not gain widespread attention until 2012. Perhaps that's because ACE-related questions can make people uncomfortable. They uncover the hidden problems in families: physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; alcoholism; lack of necessities; or feelings of being unloved or neglected. These problems transcend race and socioeconomic status just as issues of mass violence, racial prejudice, and catastrophic events do. Every one of them can contribute to mental illness. How can our schools help students succeed in despite ACEs?
One way we can help is to adopt positive development and prevention strategies. Recognizing that many students spend more awake time at school than they do at home, we need to accept—and embrace—that we need to focus on social and emotional learning. We must reach their hearts before we can teach their minds.
It's time we stop asking children "what's wrong with you?" and start asking "what happened to you?" Only when we shift our mindset will we begin to make an impact on their lives.
How can we expect children to learn when they are in a constant state of fight or flight?
Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente conducted the first study on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) from 1995 to 1997, ACEs did not gain widespread attention until 2012. Perhaps that's because ACE-related questions can make people uncomfortable. They uncover the hidden problems in families: physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; alcoholism; lack of necessities; or feelings of being unloved or neglected. These problems transcend race and socioeconomic status just as issues of mass violence, racial prejudice, and catastrophic events do. Every one of them can contribute to mental illness. How can our schools help students succeed in despite ACEs?
One way we can help is to adopt positive development and prevention strategies. Recognizing that many students spend more awake time at school than they do at home, we need to accept—and embrace—that we need to focus on social and emotional learning. We must reach their hearts before we can teach their minds.
It's time we stop asking children "what's wrong with you?" and start asking "what happened to you?" Only when we shift our mindset will we begin to make an impact on their lives.
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There are 10 adverse experiences that were studied through the CDC Kaiser Permanente Program:
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Other experiences that occur in childhood that affect brain development, growth, and overall health:
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