PACEs Connection

If you’re working to lower ACE scores and increase positive experiences in your personal, work, play, faith-based or community life — and this includes any endeavor, from art to politics — please join PACEs Connection. It’s the companion social network to ACEsTooHigh.com.

PACEsConnection.com is for people who are implementing — or thinking about implementing — healing-centered/  trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on PACEs (positive and adverse childhood experiences) research. As of April 2021, more than 50,000 people joined.

If you join, you automatically receive a daily digest with summaries and links to the latest news, research and reports about PACEs research and implementation, plus a weekly roundup of activity within the network. PACEsConnection members post blogs, photos, videos, and events; they can find, message and chat with others who are working on similar projects. They participate in groups. There are 30+ topic-based groups….for pediatricians, educators, people in criminal justice, for the faith-based community. There are nearly 400 geographic-based groups….for cities, counties and states.

To join, just head to PACEsConnection.com and sign up!

102 responses

  5. “The way a society functions is a reflection of the childrearing practices of that society. Today we reap what we have sown. Despite the well-documented critical nature of early life experiences, we dedicate few resources to this time of life. We do not educate our children about child development, parenting, or the impact of neglect and trauma on children.”
    —Dr. Bruce D. Perry, Ph.D. & Dr. John Marcellus

    “This is the most important job we have to do as humans and as citizens … If we offer classes in auto mechanics and civics, why not parenting? A lot of what happens to children that’s bad derives from ignorance … Parents go by folklore, or by what they’ve heard, or by their instincts, all of which can be very wrong.”
    —Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

    I once read an ironic quote from a children’s health academic that, “You have to pass a test to drive a car or to become a … citizen, but there’s no exam required to become a parent. And yet child abuse can stem from a lack of awareness about child development.”
    By not teaching child development science along with rearing to high school students, is it not as though societally we’re implying that anyone can comfortably enough go forth with unconditionally bearing children with whatever minute amount, if any at all, of such vital knowledge they happen to have acquired over time? It’s as though we’ll somehow, in blind anticipation, be innately inclined to fully understand and appropriately nurture our children’s naturally developing minds and needs.
    A notable number of academics would say that we don’t.
    Along with their physical wellbeing, children’s sound psychological health should be the most significant aspect of a parent’s (or caregiver’s) responsibility. Perhaps foremost to consider is that during their first three to six years of life (depending on which expert one asks) children have particularly malleable minds (like a dry sponge squeezed and released under water), thus they’re exceptionally vulnerable to whatever rearing environment in which they happened to have been placed by fate.
    I frequently wonder how many instances there are wherein immense long-term suffering by children of dysfunctional rearing might have been prevented had the parent(s) received some crucial parenting instruction by way of mandatory high school curriculum.
    Additionally, if we’re to proactively avoid the eventual dreadingly invasive conventional reactive means of intervention due to dysfunctional familial situations as a result of flawed rearing—that of the government forced removal of children from the latter environment—we then should be willing to try an unconventional means of proactively preventing future dysfunctional family situations: Teach our young people the science of how a child’s mind develops and therefor its susceptibilities to flawed parenting.
    Many people, including child development academics, would say that we owe our future generations of children this much, especially considering the very troubled world into which they never asked to enter.
    Certainly, some will argue that expectant adults can easily enough access the parenting experience and advice of other parents in hardcopy and Internet literature, not to mention arranged group settings. However, such information may in itself be in error or misrelated/misinterpreted and therefor is understandably not as beneficial as knowing the actual child development science behind why the said parental practice would or would not be the wisest example to follow.
    As for the likely argument that high school parenting courses would bore thus repel students from attending the classes to their passable-grade completion, could not the same reservation have been put forth in regards to other currently well-established and valued course subjects, both mandatory and elective, at the time they were originally proposed?
    In addition, the flipside to that argument is, such curriculum may actually result in a novel effect on student minds, thereby stimulating interest in what otherwise can be a monotonous daily high-school routine. (Some exceptionally receptive students may even be inspired to take up post-secondary studies specializing in child psychological and behavioural disorders.)
    In any case, American experience and studies indicate that such curriculum is wholly useful, regardless of whether the students themselves plan to and/or go on to procreate.
    For one thing, child development and rearing curriculum would make available to students potentially valuable knowledge about their own psyches and why they’re the way they are.
    Physical and mental abuse commonsensically aside, students could also be taught the potentially serious psychological repercussions of the manner in which they as parents may someday choose to discipline their children; therefore, they may be able to make a much more informed decision on the method they choose to correct misbehaviour, however suddenly clouded they may become in the angry emotion of the moment.
    And being that their future children’s sound mental health and social/workplace integration are at stake, should not scientifically informed parenting decisions also include their means of chastisement?
    Our young people are then at least equipped with the valuable science-based knowledge of the possible, if not likely, consequences of dysfunctional rearing thus much more capable of making an informed choice on how they inevitably correct their child’s misconduct.
    It would be irresponsibly insufficient to, for example, just give students the condom-and-banana demonstration along with the address to the nearest Planned Parenthood clinic (the latter in case the precautionary contraception fails) as their entire sex education curriculum; and, similarly, it’s not nearly enough to simply instruct our young people that it’s damaging to scream at or belittle one’s young children and hope the rest of proper parenting somehow comes naturally to them. Such crucial life-skills lessons need to be far more thorough.
    But, however morally justified, they regardlessly will not be given such life-advantageous lessons, for what apparently are reasons of conflicting ideology or values.
    In 2017, when I asked a BC Teachers’ Federation official over the phone whether there is any childrearing curriculum taught in any of B.C.’s school districts, he immediately replied there is not. When I asked the reason for its absence and whether it may be due to the subject matter being too controversial, he replied with a simple “Yes”.
    This strongly suggests there are philosophical thus political obstacles to teaching students such crucial life skills as nourishingly parenting one’s children. (Is it just me, or does it not seem difficult to imagine that teaching parenting curriculum should be considered any more controversial than, say, teaching students Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum, beginning in Kindergarten, as is currently taught in B.C. schools?)
    Put plainly, people generally do not want some stranger—and especially a government-arm entity, which includes school teachers—directly or indirectly telling them how to raise their children. (Albeit, a knowledgeable person offered me her observation on perhaps why there are no mandatory childrearing courses in high school: People with a dysfunctional family background do not particularly desire scholastically analyzing its intricacies; i.e. they simply don’t want to go there—even if it’s not being openly discussed.)
    A 2007 study (its published report is titled The Science of Early Childhood Development), which was implemented to identify facets of child development science accepted broadly by the scientific community, forthrightly and accurately articulates the matter: “It is a compelling task that calls for broad, bipartisan collaboration. And yet, debate in the policy arena often highlights ideological differences and value conflicts more than it seeks common interest. In this context, the science of early childhood development can provide a values-neutral framework for informing choices among alternative priorities and for building consensus around a shared plan of action. The wellbeing of our nation’s children and the security of our collective future would be well-served by such wise choices and concerted commitment.”
    file:///F:/CHILDPSYCHESScienceEarlyChildhoodDevelopment.pdf

    The same study-report also noted that, “The future of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of the next generation. Stated simply, today’s children will become tomorrow’s citizens, workers, and parents. When we invest wisely in children and families, the next generation will pay that back through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship. When we fail to provide children with what they need to build a strong foundation for healthy and productive lives, we put our future prosperity and security at risk … All aspects of adult human capital, from work force skills to cooperative and lawful behavior, build on capacities that are developed during childhood, beginning at birth … The basic principles of neuroscience and the process of human skill formation indicate that early intervention for the most vulnerable children will generate the greatest payback.”
    Although I appreciate the study’s initiative, it’s still for me a disappointing revelation as to our collective humanity when the report’s author feels compelled to repeatedly refer to living, breathing and often enough suffering human beings as a well-returning “investment” and “human capital” in an attempt to convince money-minded society that it’s indeed in our best fiscal interest to fund early-life programs that result in lowered incidence of unhealthy, dysfunctional child development.
    In fact, in the 13-page study-report, the term “investment(s)” was used 22 times, “return” appeared eight times, “cost(s)” five times, “capital” appeared on four occasions, and either “pay”/“payback”/“pay that back” was used five times.
    While some may justify it as a normal thus moral human evolutionary function, the general self-serving Only If It’s In My Own Back Yard mentality (or what I acronize OIIIMOBY) can debilitate social progress, even when it’s most needed; and it seems that distinct form of societal ‘penny wisdom but pound foolishness’ is a very unfortunate human characteristic that’s likely with us to stay.
    Sadly, due to the OIIIMOBY mindset, the prevailing collective attitude, however implicit or subconscious, basically follows, “Why should I care—I’m soundly raising my kid?” or
    “What’s in it for me, the taxpayer, if I support child development education and health programs for the sake of others’ bad parenting?”
    I was taught in journalism and public relations college courses that a story or PR news release needed to let the reader know, if possible in the lead sentence, why he/she should care about the subject matter—and more so find it sufficiently relevant to warrant reading on. It’s disheartening to find this vocational tool frequently utilized in the study’s published report to persuade its readers why they should care about the fundamental psychological health of their fellow human beings—but in terms of publicly funded monetary investment and collective societal ‘costs to us later’ if we do nothing to assist this (probably small) minority of young children in properly cerebrally developing.
    A similarly disappointing shortsighted OIIIMOBY mindset is evident in news reporting and commentary on other serious social issues, in order to really grasp the taxpaying reader’s interest. I’ve yet to read a story or column on homelessness, child poverty and the fentanyl overdose crisis that leaves out any mention of their monetary cost to taxpaying society, notably through lost productivity thus reduced government revenue, larger health care budgets and an increasing rate of property crime; and perhaps the most angrily attention-grabbing is the increased demand on an already constrained ambulance response and emergency room/ward waits due to repeat overdose cases.
    As for society’s dysfunctionally reared thus improperly mind-developed young children, make no mistake: Regardless of whether individually we’re doing a great job rearing our own developing children, we all have some degree of vested interest in every child receiving a psychologically sound start in life, considering that communally everyone is exposed (or at least potentially so) to every other parent’s handiwork.
    Our personal monetary and societal security interests are served by a socially functional fellow citizenry that otherwise could or would have been poorly reared—a goal in part probably met by at least teaching child development science to our high school students.

    “I remember leaving the hospital thinking, ‘Wait, are they going to let me just walk off with him? I don’t know beans about babies! I don’t have a license to do this. We’re just amateurs’.”
    —Anne Tyler, Breathing Lessons

    “It’s only after children have been discovered to be severely battered that their parents are forced to take a childrearing course as a condition of regaining custody. That’s much like requiring no license or driver’s ed[ucation] to drive a car, then waiting until drivers injure or kill someone before demanding that they learn how to drive.”
    —Myriam Miedzian, Ph.D.

    (Frank Sterle Jr.)

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  6. Greetings! I’m new to the world of ACEs and their impact and am fascinated by what I’m learning. I’m curious whether the types of school-based interventions that are shown to be successful have extended into the workplace at all? I have come across much information about the impact of ACEs in the workplace, but far less about what businesses are doing to address those impacts directly. Lots of information about service-oriented workplaces and secondary-trauma among staff, but I’m curious how regular businesses with employees likely to suffer from high ace scores (think restaurant industries, hotels, construction, etc.) are modifying business practices with trauma-informed care in mind. Thank you in advance for any insights!

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    • Some businesses are, but not a lot yet. If you’re not a member of ACEsConnection.com, the social network that accompanies ACEsTooHigh.com, you can ask the question there and probably find some people in the business sector who are including ACEs science.

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  7. Pingback: House Oversight and Reform Committee Hears Powerful Testimony on Childhood Trauma |

  8. Pingback: What Happens When the Science of Trauma and Building Resilience Go to Prison |

    • Check out Somatic Experiencing! It is a bottom up approach, meaning working with the body in order to achieve neurological and cognitive changes, founded by Peter Levine. As opposed by cognitive based treatments, Somatic Experiencing goes only marginally into the story of the trauma but focuses on the sensations that accompanies experiences and feelings. Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist who has done 30+ years of trauma research and founder of the Trauma Institute in Boston MA, found that the body holds the imprints of traumatic memory. The way we protected ourselves in times of threat or overwhelm, stiffening, clenching jaws, contracting the belly, tightening the throat, tensening shoulders, causes stress patterns that are associated with the trauma and these patterns and sensations can in turn cause retraumatisation. Somatic Experiencing is a gentle way to presence, understand and release the body memory and with this loosen the grip past trauma has. It helps the nervous system to learn to calm and regulate itself. It could be combined with or used in alternation with EMDR which is also a wonderful and highly effective treatment for trauma, to resource the nervous system with positive building up input and to process trauma.
      For further information https://traumahealing.org

      Also, I can highly recommend the Safe and Sound Protocol. This is an ingenious, simple and non-invasive intervention of neuro-hacking, based on Steven Porges Poly Vagal Theory. It consists of listening on 5 consecutive days for 1 hour to filtered music. The music is recorded in a way to stimulate the vagus nerve via the middle ear. I have trialed it with several clients who felt very relaxed afterwards and reported that their anxiety levels were strongly reduced. It makes a great starting point to prepare working with negative beliefs that clients still hold about themselves and that cause unwanted symptoms or affect their behaviour in an unhelpful way.
      Find more information and how to locate a practitioner on the Integrated Listening Systems website
      https://integratedlistening.com/bing-safe-sound-protocol/

      A number of books that were recommended to me by clients to address trauma and anxiety are
      Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma By Pete Walker
      Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry by Catherine M Pittman (Author), Elizabeth M Karle (Author)
      Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism Paperback by Stanley Rosenberg

      I have complied a number of information about strategies, exercises, apps to help with anxiety on my Facebook site
      https://www.facebook.com/Skilled-Support-for-Lasting-Change-231932536865263/
      Feel free to read.

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  10. The general question coming up here is what to do about having a high ACE Score along with various symptoms.

    First, it would make sense to carefully write the symptoms down and then see a physician to look into whether these symptoms might be early signs of some disease process that might or might not be related to the chronic stress related to distant childhood experiences. An internist or primary care doctor would typically be the best choice.

    Second, it would be useful to help yourself learn more about your ACEs. This can effectively and inexpensively be done by autobiographical writing in 5-year segments. James Pennebaker has studied and written about this process, and you can sample his book on Amazon. Basically, you want to write as detailed an autobiography as you can, five years at a time. A day or so later, you do the next 5 years, etc. Doing this on a computer is particularly helpful because of legibility and the ease of going back and inserting something new that you just remembered. This is usually very helpful in enabling yourself to discover relationships between distant events and their long term consequences in your life. Should you ultimately feel you need some sort of therapeutic help, two forms are worth considering because they often can provide improvement in a relatively few sessions, thus being more affordable. They are Hypnotherapy and EMDR. You can learn about Hypnotherapy and find local, experienced practitioners by looking at the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis website. For EMDR, just search the term on the internet. If you have a Psychological Association in your county, you can call them to inquire about local practitioners using this technique.

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    • I cannot see the relationship between ACE score and Resilience score; nor do I find any reference to what the Resilience score means. Additionally, if there is no relationship then why offer the Resilience Quiz? Does the Resilience score positively or negatively impact the ACE score; is there a ratio from the Resilience score that modifies the ACE score?
      Hope you’ll answer,
      Thanks,

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      • The ACE score can give you an idea of the childhood adversity you experiences. The Resilience score give you an idea of the positive experiences that can buffer the adverse experiences, and result in less stress in your body and brain.

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  11. I am 55 years old Special Education Administrator. I have a ace score of 9. I live in South Western, NH and also would be interested in talking with anyone on this issue. I feel that even though I have had a successful career I can feel the weight of these issues effecting my neurology and health. How can I find qualified support in my area?

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  12. I am 72 years old and have an ace score of 7 and resilience score of 10. I live in Maine and would be interested in talking to anyone with these issues. I have had a long rewarding career as an RN but also have some chronic diseases. This scoring is new to me, but I have dealt with childhood trauma all my life.

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  15. I would like a copy of the 200 questions please. I could not get to it by following the link. The idea of the ACE form the basis of my practice here in Cape Town South Africa. Thanks Vaughan

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  17. Pingback: ACEs Connection – parentmeblog

  18. Hi I am a PhD student looking at how domestic abuse shelters are identifying and managing the mental health needs of children. I wanted to know if any research implementing ACES in a domestic violence shelter have been done. I have looked all over the site and although this presents as being a perfect fit I have not found anything.

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  19. Pingback: Trauma Ground Zero – intergenerationaltrauma

  20. Pingback: July 15, 2015, Grassroots Change Newsletter | Grassroots Change

  21. How can I get more involved?
    I have more than four aces with a very high resilience score.
    I am a firefighter/investigator student. It is difficult to get into the field because I cannot afford the pay cut but I think that I could be a good advocate for those who have had similar experiences. I plan to go for a PhD because I wont stop fighting for the voiceless.

    Inspiring ideas are welcomed. When I complete my bachelors I will expand my job search nationwide and sell my house to make my support more available.

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    • Hi, Jared: Join ACEsConnection.com, a community of practice social network for people who are implementing ACEs, trauma-informed and resilience-building practices. You can find others from MN there.
      Cheers, Jane

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  22. I am doing a ba in psychology and using ACE questions. Do you have information or research on validity and reliability of the questions list.

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  26. I am deeply pleased to have found this information about this study. I’ve seen this issue present in so many lives including my own. I’m only nineteen but this study perfectly explains the core of “what” poses as a threat in so many of our lives. We don’t acknowledge the effects of choice and subjection. Our youth(s) suffer today because of what they are exposed to which later effects their individual growth both mentally and physically. This is so preventable and beyond measure treatable, all we need to do is address it.

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    • Thanks for your comment, Trish. The ACE Study asked only those 10 questions.

      There are, of course, many other types of childhood trauma — watching a sibling being abused, losing a caregiver (grandmother, mother, grandfather, etc.), homelessness, surviving and recovering from a severe accident, witnessing a father being abused by a mother, witnessing a grandmother abusing a father, or medical trauma, as you suggest. The ACE Study included only those 10 childhood traumas because those were mentioned as most common by a group of about 300 Kaiser members; those traumas were also well studied individually in the research literature.

      The most important thing to remember is that the ACE score is meant as a guideline: If you experienced other types of toxic stress over months or years, then those would likely increase your risk of health consequences.

      There are some subsequent studies that have added other questions — e.g. the Philadelphia Urban ACE Study, and some pediatricians have added types of trauma that are common in the communities where their patients live.

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  29. Where do I get help? I am a mother of 5, a few years ago at the age of 8 I lost custody of my eldest daughter when her father challenged my move to another state and the judge changed her primary parent to him. At that time she had a sister who was 3 and in my home permanently and I was pregnant with my third. I’m seeing signs from all of my children that I’m greatly concerned about and after reading some of your articles concerns me even more. Where can I get help for my family? I live on the outskirts of a small town in ND.

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  30. Hi Daun, In talking with Dr. Felitti, he would describe these conditions of abuse/neglect as quite severe … the questions themselves in the ACEs survey point to this as well. Dr. Felitti would sometimes describe the physical abuse as “bone breaking.” I too urge you to contact him directly. He is very generous in responding to inquiries such as this.

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  31. Does anyone have a short answer or a “link” to the details of how “Neglect” categories(Emotional and Physical) were defined and determined in The original study ?

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  32. Where can I find a link to valid research on altered brain development related to ACEs study, ideally with images ? Does CDC have pubs ? Is B Perry work (and sidebyside radiology imagery) broadly accepted ?

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  38. My wife and I have been blessed to start teaching The ACE Overcomers curriculum in the Mission at Kern County . What a privilege to be a part of the network which is ACE. I want to thank Dave Lockridge of Merced California for preparing us both for the opprtunity to serve.

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  39. 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.

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    • 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.

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  40. 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!

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    • 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.

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    • 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.

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    • Trevor,
      I have developed a comprehensive assessment tool that includes the ACE Study questions in the process of collecting ACE data within the AI/AN communities with which I work (18 tribes). I am also working with another Indian Health Service clinic that is using my tool as part of their effort to integrate behavioral health into primary care, decrease suicides and substance abuse (Methamphetamines – MSPI Grant). I would be interested in discussing the possibility of serving as a consultant.
      Please contact me at your convenience.

      Dr. Leon Altamirano

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  41. 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

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    • Dr. Felitti,

      I believe I have found the question(s) related to “Neglect” categories (Emotional Neglect in particular) as presented in your original ACEs study(as described in the Philadelphia “Urban ACE Survey”) : Did you often feel that no one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? Did you often feel that your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?

      I guess my first question would be whether I have the correct (or representative) version of the “Neglect” questions ?

      The second question would be why such a different result for “Neglect” in yet a third study, where “Neglect” was found in a dominating 75% respondents ?? from:

      U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, & Children’s Bureau. (2011). Child Maltreatment 2010. http://archive.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm10/cm10.pdf
      (as attributed in “Working Paper 12” @ http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/reports_and_working_papers/ ??

      Thirdly, (maybe just a rhetorical question), could there really be a valid way to capture eatly, 0-3 yrs “Neglect” as in the “Still Face Experiment” (Dr. Edward Tronick) ?

      “Neglect” being a fascinating, frustrating , subjective aspect of this puzzle . . .

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  42. 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

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  43. 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

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  44. 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.

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  46. 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.

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  47. 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!

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  48. 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!

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    • 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

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    • Hello Ariane,

      I am wondering whether you have any published material or presentation slides that I may peruse on your topic : “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.” ??

      Daun

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    • Hi, Ariane — Thank you for your kind words. I encourage you to join ACEsConnection. At this writing, more than 1800 people have joined this community of practice social network, for people who are implementing — or thinking about implementing — ACE, trauma-informed and resilience-building practices in their work and lives.
      Cheers, Jane

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  49. 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!

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