ACEs Connection
If you’re working to lower ACE scores — and this includes any endeavor, from art to politics — please consider joining the ACEs Connection.
It’s a social network where members can post information (text posts, photos, videos, events) directly to the site, “friend” and message others who are doing things that interest you, and form groups around interests. It’s kind of like Facebook, but focused on ACE concepts.
It’s a great way to keep up with events in which people will be talking about ACE concepts, and have discussions with members about relevant topics.
This initiative sounds interesting.
However, society as a whole is functioning to keep trauma levels high, and that’s first through economic insecurity and economic/status hierarchy.
So in the end, it’s like the story of the town that kept finding babies in the river & started all sorts of programs to nurture the babies, but never bothered to go upriver to find out who was throwing all the babies in the river in the first place.
Ameliorative actions are holding actions; better than available alternatives, but in the end serving to maintain the status quo.
Jobs and justice.
Thanks for your comment, hb: Walla Walla and a few other communities realize that the answer is indeed up-river, as you point out, and have started efforts for the entire community to become trauma-informed. That includes jobs & justice!
Cheers, J.
Alaska is embarking on a journey of developing our own response and initiative to the ACE study. One of our first steps is to complete a statewide assessment of: (1) current knowledge level of ACEs, and (2) who is currently utilizing the study and how they are using it within their organization/program/system. Has anyone else completed a similar assessment and have designed a survey tool to collect this information? If so, would you be willing to share with us?
Thanks!
Trevor, you might also think about going to ACEsConnection.com, and copying and pasting your question in two places: as a blog post, and on the State ACE Response group, which has 22 members, some of whom I am sure can assist.
Hi Trevor, Maine completed a similar inventory in 2011, the link is here: http://mainecgc.org/ACES_Report_Final.pdf Out of this, a new group has formed, the Maine Resilience Building Network-and website is currently under development. The idea is to harness all the amazing work providers and agencies are offering around the state.
Thanks – great info!
The Academy on Violence and Abuse has created a fine DVD of a presentation and discussion of the ACE Study, its history, and its implications. The DVD is almost 4 hours long and is an excellent overview of where we are at present, including the resistance to incorporating this information in routine clinical practice. A very favorable review of this DVD is in the August 15, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association; it may be read on the AVA web site. Members of this blog wishing to obtain a copy will find details on the AVA web site.
Vincent
Ira Glass (of “This American Life”) just aired a wonderful hour-long piece on education called “Back to School” that covers the ACEs study and resilience research, including an interview with Paul Tough, author of “How Children Succeed.” I highly recommend it. You can listen to it at: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
It was fabulous, wasn’t it, Kat!! Will you copy your comment and put it on ACEsConnection.com, too?
We are working with our Department of Corrections to start collecting ACEs data in Alaska. We want to add questions on historical cultural trauma such as forced removal from the home and being sent away to boarding school. Does anyone know of additional questions that have been added to the core ACE questions to assess for childhood trauma that were frequently experienced by American Indians/Alaska Natives? Thanks, the Alaska Family Violence Prevention Project
Are there ACE materials in Spanish?
Is there a Spanish version of the mini ACE questionnaire?
I will be conducting parent workshops in central CA and need Spanish resources.
Thanks. Dave L
Hi Dave, The materials developed by the Children’s Resilience Initiative in Walla Walla, WA–deck of cards and handbook etc–are available in Spanish at http://resiliencetrumpsaces.org Linda C.
The one-page version of the ACE Study questionnaire exists in 6 languages including Spanish and even Icelandic. Go to http://www.acestudy.org/ace_score and you can download what you are looking for.
Is the mini ACE survey available in Spanish? Are there ACE materials available in Spanish?
I will be conducting parent workshops in central CA and would like resource materials in Spanish.
Jane, I’d love to talk to you.
Sure — email me at stevens dot j dot e dot 12 at gmail dot com and we’ll set something up.
I have not been sure where to leave this inquiry, so will begin in what appears to be this general category. Is anyone affiliated w/a general medical setting, such as a family practice, who might be interested in conducting a small pilot study correlating ACE scores w/applications for/allowance of Social Security Disability benefits? I know a researcer whose area of research interest is the expense to society of child maltreatment, and she said such a pilot – say w/100-150 sample size – would go a long way toward obtaining funding to do the project on a larger scale. My goal would be to do the pilot and hand the results off to someone w/the where-with-all to obtain funding, do the larger study, etc. By the way, I am a clinical psycholoist.
Hi – Jane, we loved your fascinating coverage of Lincoln High’s new approach to school discipline. Are you available for an interview on our program Word of Mouth, broadcast out of New Hampshire Public Radio? Please email me, or send us a message through twitter @WordofMouth so we can set something up!
What amazing work you are doing. I am a Life Design Coach with a Master’s in Education and a history of extreme ACE. My ACE score is 10 of 10 on your short quiz. My brother actually committed suicide in March due the PTSD and other issues he experienced because of the extreme abuse in our home.
In my work with chronic disorganization, ADD, gifted and neurodiverse, I started noticing in 2005 that nearly 100% of my adult clients had experienced deep childhood traumas such as those you mention. Hundreds of clients later and the connect is clear.
I also noticed that most of my clients have a chronic illness of some kind. A huge part of my work now is teaching the resiliency skills that are required to help people heal from the life traumas that result in what I am currently calling “achievement-related” addictions like information hoarding, time management, chronic overwhelm, perfectionism, procrastination, and other productivity related challenges.
Since March I’ve been trying to figure out a way to highlight the connection between child abuse and education/school related trauma on how we function / organize our daily lives. What a gift to find your work here on this blog. So much depth and food for thought. I was working on a book about this…but it got so deep, so interconnected and so personal for me, I had to stop for a while. I’m so grateful you are writing this book. I am finding it so difficult to remain objective enough to write mine. THANK YOU!
Oh, I am so glad you found this place, too, Ariane!
Much, much, much of the information here will provoke “AhHah’s”! Especially the radical shift in discipline-focus happening at Washington School in Walla Walla WA.
Bright Blessings in your continuing efforts for all of us…
Karen J
Whoops – Lincoln School!
I think the Shared Inquiry approach used in Great Books programs would be very compatible with this approach. We ask genuine questions about powerful written works that raise real questions for readers of all ages, and teachers are partners with students in real conversations. See http://www.greatbooks.org or contact me for more info.
I had read some about stress and the brain and learning, but never heard of ACE concepts before. This fits very well with my experiences and makes so much sense. Such a powerful set of research and actions and my thanks to everyone who is doing such good work!
Great! I’ll send an invitation to the person who posted this. Thanks!
Please count Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic in as part of the network! More about us – including Facebook & Twitter links – at http://www.lachild.org