By Mary Ann Wolf and Elizabeth DeKonty, Photo: Pexels, EdNC, February 7, 2022
As we continue our focus on the whole child and student mental health, it is important for us to consider how a child’s experiences affect their brain and their behavior. When I think back to teaching two decades ago, the research about Adverse Childhood Experiences had not yet come out. I remember some of the behavioral challenges, in particular, about my students; and I often wonder about how I may have been able to support them differently and more effectively if I knew more about Adverse Childhood Experiences and some of the effects on the brain and behavior that they caused.
Many children in our classrooms and adults that we know experience or have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACEs) in their daily lives. ACEs include experiencing a potentially traumatic event, like abuse or neglect, or living with a caregiver with a mental illness or substance abuse problem. At first glance, you may not think that this is the case for many of the children in your communities or that you know, but studies show that six in ten individuals have at least one Adverse Childhood Experience. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of adults report experiencing a significant Adverse Childhood Experience before the age of 18, and more than 1 in 5 reports experiencing 3 or more types of ACEs (Merrick, Ford, Ports, & Guinn, 2018).
These experiences can lead to trauma and toxic stress, which can hinder academic, social, and emotional learning; and the effects become more severe with the number of ACEs that a child or adult has. Students who experience three or more ACEs score lower than their peers on standardized tests, are 2.5 times more likely to fail a grade, are up to 32 times more likely to be identified with learning and behavioral problems; and are more likely to be suspended and expelled. The more ACEs a child experiences, the higher their long-term risk of substance abuse and other health issues.
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