As a pediatrician and mom of four, I have been following the growing area of research in pediatric mental health over the last few years, including the study of adverse childhood experiences. Given the current information overload, I wanted to share the single biggest way we can help kids through this time without causing long-term consequences. Think for a minute about a boxer’s glove. The function of the glove is to provide padding for the hand. It is a shock absorber. When a hand with a...

I’d like to take this opportunity to address some of the objections to screening for ACEs that I have come across. It is true that some areas of research are still emerging, such as protocols, but in other ways we are twenty years behind using the information we have to make a positive difference in our patients lives and in training new physicians to be more comfortable addressing social and experiential determinants of health.

TraumaInformedMD.com is a new website, launched in March of 2019, with the aim of consolidating and curating resources for physicians, parents, and professionals working with children in a way that is easy to search when seeing a patient. It is also an easy way to learn the basics of ACEs and trauma informed care, evidence-based treatments, and ways of bolstering resilience at your own convenience. I have been a pediatrician in the Oklahoma City area for 11 years. After having three...