Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

I attended the Prevent Child Abuse Georgia Annual Conference last week and heard an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) expert (Dr. Robert Sege) talk about ACEs. Dr. Sege shared that the key to preventing violence is to promote resilience, which is developed through strong relationships with family and community. He also shared that there is hope even in the face of adversity for those impacted by ACEs.  He commented that your history is not your destiny. A lot of people have never heard of the term ACEs and wonder why there is a lot of buzz about ACEs.  Anyone that is concerned about the health and well-being of children should be concerned about ACEs.

The term “ACEs” is an acronym for Adverse Childhood Experiences.  The first ACEs study was done by the Center for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente in 1995. ACEs are defined as traumatic events occurring during childhood that may have negative, long lasting effects on a person’s health and well-being. Since 1995, there have been other ACEs studies conducted.  The data shows that there is a persistent correlation between the more ACEs experienced and the greater the chances of poor outcomes later in life, including dramatically increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, substance abuse, smoking, poor academic achievement, time out of work, and early death.

Current brain and social sciences have shed light on the impact of childhood adversity, risks, toxic stress and negative factors impacting healthy childhood development.

The ACEs questionnaire includes questions about child abuse/neglect and household challenges. The questionnaire does not include questions about poverty, homelessness, community violence, war/refugee status or witnessing violent crimes outside of the home. Some physicians are now using the ACEs questionnaire as a screening tool. I encourage you to google and take the ACEs questionnaire.  There are 10 items on the questionnaire and here’s the list of questions in a condensed version:

All questions refer to the time period before you were 18 years of age. Each yes, gets a score of 1. Now, looking back before you were 18:

Did you live with anyone who was depressed, mentally ill, or suicidal?

Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic?

Did you live with anyone who served time or was sentenced to serve time in a prison, jail, or other correctional facility?

Were your parents separated or divorced?

Did your parents or adults in your home ever slap, hit, kick, punch, or beat each other up?

Before age 18, did a parent or adult in your home ever hit, beat, kick, or physically hurt you in any way? Do not include spanking.

Did a parent or adult in your home ever swear at you, insult you, or put you down?

Did anyone at least 5 years older than you, or an adult, touch you sexually?

Did anyone at least 5 years older than you, or an adult, try to make you touch them sexually?

Did anyone at least 5 years older than you, or an adult, force you to have sex?

Once you have taken the ACEs questionnaire, pause and think about how these childhood experiences impacted you as an adult. In the ACEs definition, it states ACEs may have a negative effect on an individual’s health and well-being.   Even though these experiences happened in your childhood, they may be adversely impacting you as an adult. Some individuals that survived childhood trauma shared that they were only able to do so because of God’s grace and mercy.  It’s not too late to seek help.

What can we do as a community?  We must work to prevent child abuse and neglect.  We must work to build strong families and communities.  We must provide quality early learning experiences for children. We must promote healthy relationships. We must provide support and counseling for those with mental health challenges. We must encourage families to eat together, spend quality time together and advocate for parents to get involved in their child’s school and activities.  We must connect children and youth with positive role models and activities. We must provide parent education for parents. We must advocate for family-friendly workplace policies. We must get the business community involved in the conversation about the welfare of children and their families.

Stable, safe home environments do matter!!

Children who grow up in safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments that foster hope and resilience are better prepared for lifelong health and well-being.

The children in our care are the future leaders, parents, citizens and workforce of the future. We want them to thrive and not just survive.  As I have stated before, the well-being of our children is our responsibility as adults.  Let’s keep HOPE alive!!

Check out this Resource:

http://www.acesconnection.com/g/george-aces-connection (Georgia ACEs Connection Network)

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

                                                                                -Frederick Douglass

Article resources:  CDC; Prevent Child Abuse Georgia; Georgia ACEs Connection

In his service,

Virginia

Please feel free to contact Virginia for further information at vbconsulting@bellsouth.net

OCTOBER 22, 2018