CA ACEs summit's 'Follow a Child' -- what's her ACE score?

Michelle has 6 ACEs

1. Lost a parent to divorce / separation -6
2. Sexual abuse -3
3. Drug addicted parent/problem drinker (alcohol) -8
4. Mental illness in a parent (addiction---probably depressed mom too) - 9
5. Emotional (verbal abuse/and not believing or listening to a daughter about such an important issue) - 1
6. Mother doesn't seem available to children (Your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?) - 4

I feel more comfortable saying she has 4: 

1. Divorced parents, primarily being raised by one

2. Sexual abuse

3. Emotional abuse

4. Family member with substance abuse (alcohol)

Michelle has at least 5 ACEs. If her mother is also mentally ill, which the facts seem to indicate, then Michelle has 6 ACEs as follows:  

Household Dysfunction

1. Substance Abuse  (mother)

2. Parental Separation/Divorce

3. Mental Illness (mother)

Abuse

4. Psychological abuse (mother)

5. Sexual abuse by her mother's boyfriend

Neglect

6. Emotional neglect (mother)

 

 

Michelle has a high ACE score, and even more, she's just vulnerable to what "life" throws at 14 year olds. She might be having some issues at school (handling studies or navigating that social climate). The thing is that a caregiver (social worker, teacher, medical professional, psychology professional, her father--if he's in a position of strength to solve problems) should look at Michelle's list of ACEs and then begin some program for amelioration and permanent healing. Amelioration may mean foster placement, moving to live with "the good parent," an IEP for her education outlook/outcome, a plan for daily physical exercise, diet and meditation, and some professional counseling help in order to match her with a plan for deep emotional healing (tapping, The Emotion Code, reiki, acupressure, cranio-sacral, etc.).

 

The ACE score is where everything should tip toward action on behalf of the child. There are many layers!

 

(What a useful exercise. Thank you.)

I was thinking something similar.  I would like to know more history. What are her Resilience factors and how can they be promoted?

I can see two from the history presented (one is a little shaky)

1. The family seems to be economically stable.
2. She has a "closer" relationship to her father.  This one is the shaky one as he is far away and often in divorce these long distant relationships can become thin and strained.

However... Does she have positive resilience factors outside the home -- at school maybe a teacher or school counselor she can talk to.  How well does she do in school - higher intelligence is a resilience factor that can be fostered. Does she belong to a religious community or a youth group that can provide resilience?  Does she have a passion for something outside the home - pets, horseback riding, playing the violin?   The ACEs need to be exposed and addressed while simultaneously, the resilience factors need to be promoted and nurtured.

Also her 10 year old brother has a high ACE score and this too need attention.

For a physician with a good relationship with this family, it may also be very useful to know the mother's ACE score. Could her alcohol use have something to do with ACEs in her own childhood. Why is she drinking? This much is often associated with anxiety and a "need to escape" i.e. self medicate something... what is that? How can we help her.    Promoting resilience for the family means responding respectfully to the needs of the parents.

5

Emotional neglect

sexual abuse

emotional abuse

parental separation 

substance abuse

I really believe this mom has depression. If her children "ruined her life" something is going on inside her mind that she is attempting unsuccessfully to deal with.  This sounds like depression or what someone who has "ghosts" would say!

       
       


Couple concerns. We need more history. Removing her from the home may not be appropriate. Foster care is no panacea believe me I almost entered that system but my age made me an "uncertain". Wasn't emancipated either, but my sister was put in foster care where she was mollested! She also as did I loose our siblings which were our only family and this made me suicidal. This isn't something to consider lightly at all. Being removed from the only home you know is tough --- you can lose your school, peers and friends, and siblings. Behaviors can worsen. Also how do we know this girl needs an IEP? Maybe she is a perfectionist straight A student. The history given provides too little information for these conclusions.