Best ACEs Articles for August 2016

These are the top seventy ACEs articles gathered from the month of August (all about adverse childhood experience – check it out)

 

All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children

 

Op-Ed: Early Childhood Experiences Could Be Partly To Blame For The Heroin Problem [WCPO.com] The findings about the wide-ranging health and social consequences of difficult childhoods underscore the importance of strengthening prevention and early intervention services for children and youth. Through collaboration and systems change, communities can assure safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for all children, whether at home, at school, or in their neighborhoods.

 

 

Many Depressed Adults Not Getting Treatment: Study [Consumer.Healthday.com] After screening survey data on more than 46,000 people, researchers found that 8 percent had depression, but only a third were being treated for the mood disorder.

 

A Call for Action in OST as Gay Teens Face Violence, Many Other Risks [YoutToday.org] The survey results released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month found that these teenagers face a shockingly high level of violence compared with their straight peers.

 

 

Someone to Talk to Upon Returning From War [TheAtlantic.com] After serving in Vietnam, John Cowart spent three decades helping soldiers who were struggling with the effects of military service.

 

 

The Beginning of the End for Private Migrant-Detention Centers? [TheAtlantic.com] The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it will look into whether it should end its relationship with the private companies that run migrant-detentions centers, a move that would signal a major shift in policy and likely appease immigrant-rights advocates.

Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity [ArchPedi.JamaNetwork.com] The time has come to leverage 21st-century science to catalyze the design, testing, and scaling of more powerful approaches for reducing lifelong disease by mitigating the effects of early adversity.

 

Watch the Official Trailer for Education Doc ‘Paper Tigers’ [TakePart.com] Premiering Wednesday, Aug. 31, on Pivot, this heartfelt documentary explores trauma-informed education through the eyes of teens who have had troubling childhood experiences.

 

 

Early Childhood Native Language Immersion Develops Minds, Revitalizes Cultures [Minneapolisfed.Org] Learning their indigenous languages from a very young age may prepare Native American children for success in school and life, with benefits spilling over to their families and communities.

 

 

Washington State Study Shows Promise for Community Network-Driven Approach to ACEs [ChronicleOfSocialChange.org] Community networks in the state of Washington have been effective in reducing the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), according to a study released this month by respected policy research firm Mathematica.

 

 

From Convict to College Student [TheAtlantic.com] California’s public universities are starting to embrace a program that helps transition people from prison to campus.

 

Putting the Power of Self-Knowledge to Work [NYTimes.com] David Bornstein captures the work of health care professionals, educators, social service workers, government officials, and ACEs Connection members.

 

 

6 Reasons Why Parks Matter for Health [RWJF.org] As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary of beauty, recreation, and conservation this summer, we asked six leaders why access to public land is vital to everyone’s physical and mental health.

 

 

Therapy For Therapists Highlights Impact Of Child Abuse [News4SanAntonio.Com] Theray for therapists helps combat empathy fatigue and increase self care.

 

 

Why One Neuroscientist Started Blasting His Core [TheAtlantic.com] A new anatomical understanding of how movement controls the body’s stress response system.

 

CDC Finds LGB Students at Greater Risk of Bullying, Sexual Violence [JJIE.org] Collective action is needed to ensure the safety of lesbian, gay and bisexual students, who experience violence and other health risks at higher rates than their heterosexual peers, a new federal report says.

 

 

Identifying Poverty From Space [CityLab.com] As a country’s GDP increases, so does its nighttime luminosity.

 

 

I Was a Child in Care. We Needed Love, Not Chemicals [TheGuardian.com] “There is much research into how witnessing violence in childhood has an impact on emotional wellbeing and long-term mental health. We know that kids who come into care experience this, and there is a whole list of abuses that need to be dealt with while they are in care. The last thing these kids needed was chemicals.”

 

Teens Work Through Trauma Using Theater As Therapy [Statnews.Com] Called Trauma Drama, it’s a theater-based therapy program for teenagers with severe emotional and behavioral problems. The idea is that theater can help this group of troubled adolescents regulate their emotions and build skills to cope with trauma.

 

 

Crime in Context [TheMarshallProject.org] To present a fuller picture of crime in America, The Marshall Project collected and analyzed 40 years of FBI data — through 2014 — on the most serious violent crimes in 68 police jurisdictions.

 

 

Philly Kindergartners Will No Longer Be Suspended [PhillyMag.com] The district says that it is shifting its focus towards being proactive by equipping teachers with the skills to de-escalate and resolve conflicts while also recognizing trauma.

 

 

Why Britain Said ‘Yes’ to Universal Preschool [TheAtlantic.com] Divided by Brexit, the country is nonetheless united in offering universal early education for 3- and 4-year-olds.

North Dakota Trauma Initiative Sparked at August 16th U.S. Senate Field Hearing and Roundtable in Bismarck [ACEsConnection.com] The two events filled the United Tribes Technical College Gymnasium with a diverse crowd of tribal leaders, government officials, non-profit staff members, academics, healthcare professionals, and community leaders./p>

 

 

America’s Criminal Injustice System [BillMoyers.com] Our criminal justice system ignores larger truths about the lives of the accused.

 

 

Millions of Kids Who Need Summer Meals Aren’t Getting Them. But Experts Have Some New Ideas [The74Million.org] Nearly 21.5 million kids in the U.S. are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals, yet according to a 2016 report from the Food Research Action Center, only 1 in 6 of them receives that benefit over summer break.

 

 

Abuse In Childhood Raises The Risk Of Early Death For Women [NPR.org] Then the researchers collected mortality data for 20 years and looked at whether reported abuse was associated with death during that period. For men, it wasn’t. But women who reported childhood emotional abuse were 22 percent more likely to die during the follow-up period than women who didn’t report abuse.

 

 

UCSF Study Examines Link Between Childhood Adversities, Homelessness [SFExaminer.com] Negative childhood experiences like abuse or neglect are largely associated with the mental health outcomes of older homeless adults.

 

 

New Research into Preventing Obesity in Children by Starting in Infancy [BostonGlobe.com] Now, an early intervention program focused on teaching new parents to calm infants without using food as a solution has effectively prevented overweight status at age 1 year, and reduced rapid weight gain during the first 6 months after birth — an important period of infant metabolic development.

 

 

A New Effort to Teach Low-Income Students Marketable Skills [TheAtlantic.com] The Department of Education is encouraging corporations in high-demand fields to partner with universities.

 

 

Feds End Use of Private Prisons, but Questions Remain [TheAtlantic.com] The government’s decision to stop using corporations to manage the federal prison population could have unintended consequences.

Women and “Assembly Line Justice” [ACEsConnection.com] Studies have indicated that the number of wincarcerated women is rising, though we don’t really know why the increase is happening. One plausible suggestion is that we are handing social service provision off to jails, just as the provision of mental health services have been handed off. All of this is done without serious policy discussion about the cost to women, their families and the jurisdiction imposing the higher levels of incarceration.

 

 

In Oregon, Police Departments Are Changing Sexual Assault Reporting & Commentary [ACEsConnection.com] Christine Cissy White discusses the need to include the inputs of clients to health services.

 

 

How Community Networks Stem Childhood Traumas [ACEsConnection.com] Today, virtually everyone involved in social services in the county is schooled in the research on adversity, and 40 percent of residents are aware of the key concepts. The challenge is embedding the knowledge in public systems that have long focused on punishment as a deterrent for misbehavior.

 

 

Childhood Adversity Looms Large for Older Homeless Adults [ScienceBlog.com]  A new UC San Francisco report on an understudied population – older homeless adults – reveals that adverse childhood experiences have long-lasting effects. The researchers found that childhood adversities, such as abuse, neglect and parental death, have a strong association with mental health outcomes in a group of 350 homeless adults over the age of 50 in Oakland, Calif. The results indicate that early life challenges have a persistent ripple effect, even in an already challenged population.

The Philadelphia ACE Task Force Launches Its New Website! [ACEsConnection.com] The Philadelphia ACE Task Force (PATF) has a new web resource for you! On Monday, August 15th, the PATF launched its new website, www.philadelphiaACEs.org, to keep you informed about our current and past projects, events, and resources for families, community members, providers, and policy makers.

 

 

RWJF Culture of Health Prize [RWJF.org] The RWJF Culture of Health Prize honors and elevates U.S. communities that are making great strides in their journey toward better health.

 

 

Helping Children Succeed—Without the Stress [TheAtlantic.com] Teaching self-control is proven to be much more effective than tutoring and advanced classes.

 

 

How Incivility Breeds Incivility [PSMag.com] In unhappy workplaces, rudeness rapidly leads to more rudeness.

 

 

How Do Americans View Poverty? Many Blue-collar Whites, Key to Trump, Criticize Poor People as Lazy and Content to Stay on Welfare [LATimes.com] Sharp differences along lines of race and politics shape American attitudes toward the poor and poverty, according to a new survey of public opinion, which finds empathy toward the poor and deep skepticism about government antipoverty efforts.

 

 

Mindfulness for Teens Struggling from Substance Abuse and Trauma [ACEsConnection.com] Sam Himelstein provides 3 simple tips for using mindfulness in substance abuse treatment with adolescents.

 

 

Beyond Misogyny: Using Hip-Hop as a Tool to Make Sense of Adolescent Identity Development [ACEsConnection.com] Though Hip-Hop is often characterized as violent and misogynistic, songs like “Slippin’” show that, like other musical genres, Hip-Hop can be an empowering tool for exploring stages of adolescent identity development in a nuanced, practical, and meaningful way.

 

 

Slow Poison: How Genocide is Perpetuated Through Policy and Philanthropy [ACEsConnection.com] Many of us work tirelessly to end the multiple forms of structural violence and oppression that manifest as health inequities, income inequality, mass incarceration, dilapidated education systems and more. However, all must ask a very relevant and critical question: what is the end goal here?

 

 

Neurofeedback works: Van der Kolk  [ACEsConnection.com] Kathy Brous writes about Dr. Van der Kolk’s new webinar on Neurofeedback.

 

 

WJF Culture of Health Prize [ACEsConnection.com] The RWJF Culture of Health Prize honors and elevates U.S. communities that are making great strides in their journey toward better health.

 

Partnership Will Evaluate Effect Of Trauma On Kansas City Community [FlatlandKC.org] The initiative is known as Resilient KC, which is a partnership between the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Trauma Matters KC, a coalition of more than 30 organizations, including mental health centers and philanthropies.

 

 

Holistic Approach May Aid In Dealing With Chronic Child Neglect [PsychCentral.com] A new study suggests Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworkers should use a more all-encompassing approach to improve how they respond to cases of chronic neglect.

 

 

From Social Worker to Foster Parent and Back [TheAtlantic.com] Judith Schagrin, who works for Baltimore County Children’s Services, reflects on 30 years of involvement in the foster-care system.

 

 

How Mortality Data Fails Native Americans [PSMag.com] The latest data from the CDC finds that death certificates often misclassify American Indians and Alaska Natives as white.

 

New Study Shows Communities Can Reduce the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences [ACEsConnection.com] A new study commissioned by the Adverse Childhood Experiences Public-Private Initiative (APPI) of Washington State finds that communities can create effective, local strategies that reduce the long-term social, emotional and physical problems related to abuse, neglect, and other Adverse Childhood Experiences.

 

 

It’s Not Surprising: CA Home Visitors, Like Other Caregivers, Have High ACE Scores [ACEsConnection.com] Last week, at the California Home Visiting Summit, several hundred amazing front-line caregivers gathered to share their experiences and learn about the latest research and practice.

 

 

Tapping a Troubled Neighborhood’s Inner Strength [ACEsConnection.com] At a time when poverty and economic insecurity remain widespread in the United States, how does a very poor community, like the Highlands in Washington State, strengthen its capacity to improve itself? The transformation in the Highlands is a product of a policy that recognized the inter-connectedness of issues usually handled seperately: child abuse, domestic violence, dropping out of high school, teen pregnancy, youth substance abuse, and youth suicide.

 

 

An Alternative Form of Mental Health Care Gains a Foothold [NYTimes.com] At a time when Congress is debating measures to extend the reach of mainstream psychiatry — particularly to the severely psychotic, who often end up in prison or homeless — an alternative kind of mental health care is taking root that is very much anti-mainstream. It is largely nonmedical, focused on holistic recovery rather than symptom treatment, and increasingly accessible through an assortment of in-home services, residential centers and groups like the voices network, in which members help one another understand each voice, as a metaphor, rather than try to extinguish it.

 

Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room: Confessions of an ignorant and frustrated teacher [ACEsConnection.com] “If we act on our uninformed views, we risk re-triggering more of the child’s trauma, and even more aggression. I confess, as a less experienced classroom teacher, I often did exactly that.”

 

 

Angry Man [ACEsConnection.com] Patrick Anderson recounts an incident that highlights the need for understanding of the flight-or-fight response.

 

 

Balancing Science with Justice for Violent Teens [Tennessean.com] As research emerges about the impact of trauma on a child’s developing brain, state leaders are grappling with the thorny problem of how to balance science with justice when dealing with justice-involved youth.

 

 

Pop-ups bring preschool to low-income communities [HechingerReport.com] A YMCA program uses libraries, neighborhood centers, churches and even the beach to help kids get ready for school.

 

 

The “F” Words: Fear & Forgiveness [ACEsConnection.com] Christine Cissy White reacts to Donna Jackson Nakazawa’s remarks on trauma.

 

 

Inside the Mind of the Olympic Gold Medal Winner [PsychologyToday.com] Winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics appears a pinnacle in any elite athlete’s career, but physical fitness or technical skill may not, in fact, be the crucial factor. Increasingly sports scientists are becoming convinced that it’s grit and determination, resilience and desire, which separates winners from losers.

 

 

Your Peer Specialist Will See You Now [Governing.com] States are increasingly pairing mental health and substance abuse patients with peer specialists — people who have experienced some of the same problems themselves.

 

 

How Black Lives Matter Activists Plan to Fix Schools [TheAtlantic.com] Activists are calling for an end to charter schools and juvenile detention centers.

Veteran Suicide [ACEsConnection.com] Patrick Anderson discusses how data analysis can help prevent suicides.

 

 

What’s the Formula for Community Resilience? [RWJF.org] A new $10 million grant opportunity, designed to benefit the Gulf of Mexico region, will advance the science and practice of fostering healthy communities that can prepare for, withstand and recover from adverse events—and even thrive afterwards.

 

 

Research Into How Children Experience Animal Abuse Shows Why Domestic Violence Shelters Should Allow Pets [PSMag.com] Twenty-four percent of children whose mothers experience domestic violence also see threats to or abuse of companion animals, research shows.

 

 

What We Need To Do About The Unseen Suicide Attempts Among Young Latinas [News.UTexas.edu] It is true that there have been some local efforts to stem the problem, but there has not been systematic public interest to find ways of reducing the suicide attempts of young Latinas.

 

 

My Spotless Mind [AEON.co] Imagine purging life’s disturbing events. If you could alter or mute your worst memories would you still remain yourself?

 

 

Remarkable Photos Document One Man’s Journey With Mental Illness [HuffingtonPost.com] Tsoku Maela hopes that, by showing these photos, he can help address the stigma attached to mental illness within black communities.

 

 

What Does Trauma-Informed Mean to Foster Youth? [ACEsConnection.com] Trauma-informed approaches offer frameworks grounded in an understanding of trauma, which provide safe spaces for engaging youth, delivering services and creating opportunities for individuals to successfully rebuild their lives. Embodied in the approach is a need to help youth heal, to pivot toward resiliency and ensure their voices are heard. As the literature base grows in trauma-informed approaches and what works in trauma-specific treatments, an important but often forgotten element is the role youth (and adult) clients play in shaping their effectiveness.

 

 

What Men Can Gain from Therapy [ChicagoTribune.com] When it comes to emotional and mental issues, men need to quit trying to bottle up their feelings and tough it out.

 

 

Certificate of Advanced Studies in Trauma Counseling- Apply Now! [ACEsConnection.com] Philadelphia University’s Community and Trauma Counseling program offers a 4-course certificate for master’s-level professionals.

 

 

Wanted: Creative Research—From Any Field—Revealing What Makes Everyone In America Healthier [RWJF.org] Researchers: RWJF wants to fund your best ideas, and most rigorous study designs, to help us learn what works to promote the health of everyone in America.

 

 

How Experiencing Racism Can Impact Your Mental Health [WomensHealthMag.com] A new study illuminates how discrimination messes with your mind.

 

 

Why Many People Don’t Talk About Traumatic Events Until Long After They Occur [TheConversation.com] After traumatic events, such as physical or sexual assault, domestic violence or combat, that threaten to rob us of our dignity and spirit, people typically don’t tell others. In fact, many trauma survivors either never speak to anyone about what happened to them or wait a very long time to do so. The reasons for this are multi-fold and likely include shame, perceived stigma of being a “victim,” past negative disclosure experiences and fears of being blamed or told that the event was somehow their fault. And when it comes to reporting sexual harassment, women fear for their jobs, promotions or placements.

 

More Resilience Discussion [ACEsConnection.com] Patrick Anderson considers alternatives to resilience.

 

 

ACE Course Teaches Adults How to Overcome Trauma [ValleyMorningStar.com] ACE Overcomers assures people who take their course they didn’t deserve the trauma dealt them when they were children. Through no fault of their own, they must also deal with the effects of that trauma on their adult lives.