ACEs RESEARCH
What are ACEs?
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can occur during childhood (0-17 years old). These experiences can include violence, abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, and having a family member attempt or die by suicide. ACEs can also include aspects of the child's environment that undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with substance use problems, mental health problems, or instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of adverse experiences. Many other traumatic events can also impact a child's health and well-being.
ACEs have been linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, learning differences, and substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood. They can also negatively impact education, job opportunities, and earning potential. ACEs affect 34.8 million children across socio-economic lines, putting them at higher risk for health, behavioral and learning problems.
Learning differences, ADHD, anxiety, behavior problems, and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. Estimates of diagnosis' among children aged 3-17 years old, in 2016-19
6.0 million LD/ADHD
5.8 million Anxiety
2.7 million Depression
5.5 million Behavior problems
Information can be found on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime.
Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.
Watch this TedTalk by Nadine Burke Harris to better explain ACEs and it’s impact on the brain.
Raising Awareness of ACEs
Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is an important first step in helping young people who may be at risk. ACEs are more common than many people realize, with about 6 in 10 adults surveyed reporting that they experienced at least one ACE before the age of 18. Nearly 1 in 6 of these adults reported experiencing four or more different types of ACEs.
ACEs can have long-term consequences, including an increased risk for chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use disorders in adulthood. They can also negatively impact education and job opportunities. The economic and social costs of ACEs to families, communities, and society total hundreds of billions of dollars each year. In North America, a 10% reduction in ACEs could equate to an annual savings of $56 billion.
At Luminous Minds, we are dedicated to raising community awareness about ACEs and the importance of trauma-informed care, social-emotional-creative learning, and advocating for youth who have experienced ACEs to receive the specialized education they need. We believe that by thinking and doing things differently, we can create safe, stable, and conscious environments where both youth and adult children can thrive.
Raising awareness of ACEs can help:
Change how people think about the causes of ACEs and who could help prevent them.
Shift the focus from individual responsibility to community solutions.
Reduce stigma around seeking help with parenting challenges or substance misuse, depression, or suicidal thoughts.
Promote safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments where children live, learn, and play.
Let’s help all children reach their full potential and create neighborhoods, communities, and a world where every child thrives.
*ACE research and information is used directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.