Helping Our Kids Through Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs)
Protecting our children from any harm has been the dream of loving parents for generations and generations. As parents we also know that avoiding any and all kinds of hurt, disappointment or difficulty is to live a boring and meaningless life, void of relationships, exploration or growth.
However, studies show that adverse childhood events, or ACEs, can have long-term, multi-pronged damaging effects on children. Dr. Hassan Alzein of Alzein Pediatrics explains what ACEs are, how they can affect children and the adults they become, and how to mitigate their impact on health.
What is an ACE?
Years ago, the Centers for Disease Control partnered with Kaiser Permanente to investigate the health impacts of childhood trauma. The resulting report coined the term “Adverse Childhood Experience,” or ACE, to define a range of traumatic life events that correspond to poorer health outcomes.
Dr. Alzein says, “While we may think of ACEs as terrible things that can happen toa child such as neglect, illness or injury, and sexual abuse, an ACE can also arise from things happening around a child, like an incarceration in the family, substance abuse or mental illness in the household, and food, financial or housing insecurity. In reality, an ACE is any event that a child experiences as traumatic, including the death of a loved one, parents divorcing, or a friend moving away.”
What can happen if a child experiences an ACE?
The CDC/Kaiser study found intense or sustained traumatic experiences produce an excessive stress reaction in the human body, particularly worrisome for children and their developing brains. Because children’s brains are in a state of rapid development, the presence of these stress hormones alters and delays brain development, causing subsequent declines in overall health.
“In the short term, these kids may experience immediate developmental delays such as learning and attention disorders. Over the longer term, ACE-effected children display increased risk-taking, decreased self-care, and poor impulse control. They are also more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and substance abuse as they grow,” says Dr. Alzein.
ACEs impact more than mental health. Prolonged and early stress increases a child’s risk of developing chronic, life-changing illnesses like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Should parents and caregivers work on preventing all ACEs?
“The truth is, we can’t prevent every ACE,” says Dr. Alzein. “For example, trying to avoid the potential ACE of divorce will present a different, more severe ACE, such as domestic apathy, cruelty, violence or substance abuse.”
More than 6 in 10 American adults have experienced an ACE, andover 15% reportat least 4 ACEs. Any adverse experience a child cannot properly process has the potential to become an ACE, causing a prolonged and intense period of stress that will impact long-term developmental, mental and physical health.
So how can I help a child who has experienced an ACE?
The harm that happens is not simply because of the traumatic event, but also because of the child’s stress reaction to it.
Dr. Alzein says, “The most effective method to prevent a traumatic event from morphing into a long-term ACEis to help children develop resiliency: the ability to experience, process, and manage stress.”
To help children confront and process stress, parents and caregivers should focus on:
- The child’s social and emotional development
- A positive parenting environment
- Responsive relationships with caregivers
- Engagement with the community
- Open lines of communication
For children who have experienced an ACE, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is strongly recommended, as soon as possible. CBThas proven effective not only in limiting the long-term impact of an ACEbutin helping children build the life skills needed to process trauma and stress in a healthy way throughout their life.
Dr. Alzein says, “Adverse Childhood Experiences have profound, lifelong health impacts—but children can overcome these impacts when we help them build and use the proper tools to process the stress they feel, whether it’s caused by a move to a new neighborhood or the sudden death of a beloved grandparent. It’s very important for all involved adults to surround kids with love and acceptance, so they feel safe asking questions and expressing their feelings without judgement.”
