SEPTEMBER 2012 ACE CONSORTIUM QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
What is the ACE Study? What is the ACE Study? What is the ACE Study?
Our Vision: Arizona is a state that has safe, stable and nurturing
families and communities that contribute to a prosperous society.
Our Values:
Health: We believe that early childhood trauma is a significant social issue that affects public health.
Community: We believe that a strong community supports families to raise
strong, physically and emotionally healthy
children.
Commitment: We are committed to bring a clear
understanding to the people of Arizona of the
effects of child abuse and neglect and its ramifica-tions on public health.
Education: We believe that the awareness of the
impact of childhood trauma and its subsequent
health effects will contribute to a
societal commitment to acknowledge child abuse and neglect as a public
health issue.
Collaboration: We believe in working
together to prevent child abuse and neglect and in promoting resiliency and
healing through treatment.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is an epidemiological study that analyzed over 17,000 adults and the rela-tionship between traumatic stress in child-hood and the leading causes of morbidity, mortality and disability.
The concept for the study originated in 1985 when Dr. Vincent Felitti, with Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, was working with a weight loss program for obese patients. Dr. Felitti found that many patients who were actually successfully losing weight dropped out of the program. After looking at the patients’ histories, it was noted that many of them had been physically or sexu-ally abused as children and it was hypothe-sized that they had unconsciously used obe-sity as a protection against unwanted sexual attention and/or physical aggression.
Around the same time as Dr. Felitti’s re-search, Dr. Robert Anda of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was in the process of researching both medical and public health programs such as smok-ing, substance abuse and other diseases. Dr. Anda’s interest lay in the study of psy-chosocial origins of health-related risk be-haviors. Because Dr. Anda’s findings were similar to that of Dr. Felitti’s, the CDC and Kaiser Permanente teamed up to perform a longitudinal epidemiologic study on the im-pact of adverse (traumatic) childhood ex-periences.
The underlying message derived from the study is that throughout all populations, trau-matic experiences in childhood are common and tend to occur in groups. Nearly two-thirds of the study participants reported at least one ACE. Of those, more than 80 per-cent reported experiencing two or more ACEs in their lives. ACEs are a strong pre-dictor of later health and mortality risk.
High stress in childhood may lead to dis-ruptions in brain development impacting
social, emotional and cognitive develop-ment. These early threats can lead to the adoption of health risk behaviors such as overuse/abuse of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, food or unsafe sexual promiscuity. These behaviors are frequently seen as the prob-lem when actually the underlying issue of adverse childhood experiences is the root of the problem. The observed problems of obe-sity, drug abuse, etc. can actually be an al-most effective coping solutions.
Child abuse is prevalent in our culture and its prevention is necessary. The results from the ACE study indicate that this information should be at the forefront of medical training, patient medical and psychological assess-ment and intervention, parent education and public education. To reach this goal profes-sionals, community agencies and community members must work together to strategize an effective campaign.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital led the way with creation of a small group of volunteers and professionals in 2007 to meet infor-mally, discuss and determine what could be done with the findings of the ACE Study. Subsequently, as more professionals ex-pressed interest, and ideas developed, the group grew and evolved into what it is today: the ACE Consortium.
The ACE Consortium is committed to get-ting the word out to doctors, psychologists, patients, parents, teachers and other adults who work with children so that our commu-nity can become well-versed in how to heal the effects of abuse, how to prevent it from happening and to create stronger communi-ties in which everyone understands the im-plications of abuse on the emotional as well as the physical lives of all, especially chil-dren.
For more information on the ACE study visit www.acestudy.org and www.cdc.gov/ace/.
.
S cie nce s how s t hat exp os ure
t o c i rc um -s ta nc es t hat
p rod uc e p ers i ste nt fea r
a nd chroni c a nxi ety c a n
have l i fe l ong c ons eq uence s by d isrupt i ng
t he devel op ing a rchi t ect ure of
t he bra in.
The ACE network offers a wealth of infor-mation on how anyone may assess the im-pact of trauma or abuse suffered in child-hood. The more types of childhood trauma a per-son has, the more likely she/he will have a chronic disease. In other words, the higher your ACE score, the more problems you’ll have as an adult. The ACE Study looked at 10 different types of childhood trauma. These are the five usual suspects: physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, physical and emotional neglect. The study also looked at five types of family dysfunction: a parent or adult in the house who was an alcoholic or diagnosed mentally ill, a battered mother, a family member in prison and a parent who disappears through abandonment or divorce.
Only 30 percent of us have no ACEs. ACEs rarely appear alone — if there’s one type of childhood trauma, there’s a 87 per-cent likelihood that there are others and a 50 percent chance of at least 3 others. In addition, ACEs are very common, even in predominately white, middle- to upper-middle class college-educated Americans. What is your ACE score? If you are interested in finding out your ACE score take a shortened version of the ACE questionnaire at: www. acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score. Visit ACEs Too High interactive website at www.acesconnection.com.
ACES Too High
reports that
the more types
of childhood
trauma a
person endures,
the more likely
she or he will
develop or
have a chronic
disease or an
addiction.
Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of healthy child development.
When we are threatened, our bodies prepare us to respond by increasing our heart rate,
blood pressure and stress hormones such as cortisol. Some stress in life is inevitable.
When stress is buffered through supportive relationships, stress becomes tolerable and less
damaging to children’s development.
However, if the stress response is extreme and long-lasting, and buffering relationships are
unavailable to the child, the result can be damaged, weakened systems and brain architec-
ture, with lifelong repercussions. This can lead to lasting difficulties in learning, memory and
self-regulation. Children who are exposed to serious early stress develop an exaggerated
stress response that, over time, weakens their defense system against diseases, from heart
disease to diabetes and depression.
Trying to change behavior or build new skills on a foundation of brain circuits that were not
wired properly when they were first formed requires more work and is less effective. This
means we need to invest in the kinds of programs that prevent child abuse and neglect from
the point of birth onward through childhood and adolescence.
Check out this website for more information on the developing brain:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/videos/brain_hero/
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN ARIZONA: WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN ARIZONA:
SUMMIT
The 2012 Trauma Informed Care
Summit was held on February
22, 2012 at the Arizona State
University Downtown Campus.
This collaborative project
between the Arizona
Department of Health Services,
National Association of State
Mental Health Program
Directors, ASU Center for
Applied Behavioral Health
Policy and the Pacific Southwest
Addiction Transfer Technology
Center included several
nationally recognized trauma
informed care speakers.
DOCUMENTARY SHOWING OF “Healing Neen”
Following the 2012 Trauma Informed Care Summit, a
screening of the documentary “Healing Neen” was held
which included a discussion with Tonier “Neen” Cain.
After surviving a childhood of abuse and neglect, Neen
lived on the streets for two nightmarish decades,
where she endured unrelenting violence, hunger and
despair while racking up 66 criminal convictions
related to her addiction. Incarcerated and pregnant in
2004, treatment for her lifetime of trauma offered her
a way out... and up. Her story illustrates the
consequences that untreated trauma has on individuals
and society at-large, including mental health problems,
addiction, homelessness and incarceration. Today, she is a nationally renowned speaker
and educator on the devastation of trauma and the hope of recovery.
THIRD ANNUAL “Strong Communities Raise Strong Kids” TRAINING OF TRAINERS On May 24, 2012 the ACE Consortium conducted
an all day trainer of trainers session in Flagstaff,
AZ. The response was outstanding with 73
participants, some coming as far away as Yuma
and Benson. Participants were provided with
toolkits to use in their own communities to
educate members on the ACE study and
strategies individuals and communities can
implement to strengthen families and
communities.
ACE CONSORTIUM MEETINGS
The ACE Consortium meet-ings are held each quarter on Thurs-day mornings from 10:00 to 12:00 at Phoenix
Children’s Hospital. Keep up to date with the Consortium happenings by becoming part of our email distribu-tion list. Contact Marcia Stanton for more information and/or to be added to the list: [email protected]
Look for the latest trainer resources online in the ACE Trainer toolkit! Share the ACE Brochure in English or Spanish, print additional posters or email presentation notes to participants in English or Spanish from this area of the ACE Consortium website (http://azpbs.org/strongkids). The link to the Trainer Toolkit can be found as a large yellow button on the lower right of the home page.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS
Our Community PartnersOur Community Partners M i s s i o n
2006
Phoenix Children’s Hospital hosts
Community Leader Luncheon with Vincent Felitti, M.D.
2007
Community Roundtable with Dr.
Felitti
Presentation at Annual Family Cen-
tered Practice Conference
Convened “ACE Think Tank”
2008/2009
Continued ACE community presen-
tations and meetings of the “ACE Think Tank”
2010
Developed “Strong Communities
Raise Strong Kids” Tool Kit includ-ing logo, ACE Brochure, ACE Poster
Inaugural “Strong Communities
Raise Strong Kids” Train the Trainer – two-day training
Participation in CDC Expert Panel
Eight PBS - Webpage Developed
PBS Horizon featuring Vincent Fe-
litti, M.D.
Ask an Arizona Expert PBS Prime-
time Special: Ask a Child Trauma Expert
2011
Second Train the Trainer
PBS special: Forgiveness: Ask an
Arizona Expert
Developed Mission, Vision, Values
and Strategic plan
Began social media campaign
Your are cordially invited to:
Become a member of the ACE Consortium
Attend ACE Consortium meetings
Share with us stories of resiliency
Like us on Facebook at:
ACE Consortium Strong Communities Raise Strong Kids
The next ACE Consortium quarterly meeting will be held Novem-
ber 15, 2012 from 10:00 to 12:00 at Phoenix Children’s Hospital
And, Save These Dates:
2013 ACE Consortium meeting dates—Feb. 21, May 16, Aug. 15 and Nov. 21
Greater Phoenix Child Abuse Prevention Council is hosting a “Strong Communities Raise Strong Kids” Train the Trainers workshop on October 18, 2012. Contact Marcia Stanton for more details at [email protected] Magellan Health Care of Arizona is planning a one day conference on December 6th on ACEs to include presentation by Dr. Robert Anda, Senior Researcher in Preven-tive Medicine and Epidemiology at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven-tion and Co-principle investigator on the ACE Study along with Laura Porter, Staff Director—Washington State Family Policy Council. Look for details in the next
quarterly newsletter.
T h e A d v e r s e
C h i l d h o o d
E x p er i e n c e s
( A C E ) C o n s or t i um
i s a l e a d e r i n
s t r e n g t h e n i n g
A r i z o n a f a m i l i e s
a n d c o m m u n i t i e s .
THE ACE CONSORTUIM
TIMELINE
Osborn Communities Connect