Serving Columbia County

What are ACEs?

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful experiences that happen before the age of 18. They fall under three categories: abuse, neglect, household challenges. ACEs have been linked to premature death as well as to various health conditions, including those of mental disorders.

Toxic stress linked to childhood maltreatment is related to a number of neurological changes in the structure of the brain and its function. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, published in 1998, was the first large scale study to look at the relationship between ten categories of adversity in childhood and health outcomes in adulthood.

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Emotional abuse	Domestic violence
Physical abuse	Household substance abuse
Sexual abuse	Incarcerated household member
Emotional Neglect	Parental separation or divorce
Physical Neglect	Household mental illness

Factors to overcoming ACEs

Communities	Education
Social Services	Health Care Services
Public Health	Resilience and Resources
Criminal Justice	Legislation

According to the Center for Youth Wellness, “Exposure without a positive buffer, such as a nurturing parent or caregiver, can lead to a Toxic Stress Response in children, which can, in turn, lead to health problems like asthma, poor growth and frequent infections, as well as learning difficulties and behavioral issues. In the long term, exposure to ACEs can also lead to serious health conditions like heart disease, stroke, and cancer later in life.”

As knowledge about the prevalence and consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences increases, trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on the research is being implemented in communities, education, public health departments, social services, faith-based organizations and criminal justice.

Want to learn how to make your school or classroom one that gives every child the opportunity to find their voice? We believe language is the key to unlocking every child’s potential. The Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School offers free online language and literacy training for all teachers of children from Birth to 3rd grade on its Cox Campus.