PREVENTING ACEs

Adverse Childhood Experience can include things like physical and emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver mental illness, and household violence. The more ACEs a child experiences, the more likely he or she is to suffer from things like poor academic achievement,  substance abuse and other negative things later in life.

Experiencing ACEs and things like racism, community violence, without supportive adults, can cause what’s known as toxic stress. This excessive activation of the stress response system can lead to lasting damages on both the body and brain of a child.

Can We Reduce The Effects of ACEs and Toxic Stress?

YEs.. In fact, there is a wide range of possible responses that can help reduce the effects of ACEs and it includes therapeutic sessions with mental health professionals, meditation, physical exercise, spending time in nature, proper education, love, care, support to mention a few.

The ideal approach, however, is to prevent the need for these responses by reducing the sources of stress in people’s lives. This can happen by helping to meet their basic needs or providing other services. Establishing strong, responsive relationships between children and helping them build core life skills help to prevent  from the effects of toxic stress.

ACEs affect people at all income and social levels and can have serious, costly impacts throughout their entire lives. But take note that no one who has experienced ACEs is damaged beyond repair. By reducing families’ sources of stress, providing children and adults with responsive relationships, and strengthening the core life skills we all need to adapt and thrive, we can prevent and counteract lasting harm.