1. Maricopa Family Support Alliance ACEs in the School Setting Marcia Stanton, MSW August 11, 2017

2. Scientific Advances
Are driving a paradigm shift in understanding how child development impacts human health and disease across the lifespan

3. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study
“Probably the most important public health study you never heard of.”
ACEs sometimes referred to as toxic stress or childhood trauma
Slide 3- What are ACES? 3

4. Your Awareness of ACE Study?
- No Knowledge of ACE Research
- Some Knowledge
- More Than Most
- Expert
Slide 5 - Ask audience by a show of hands to rate their awareness of the ACE Study. Next distribute the ACE questionnaire. This survey is a condensed version of the actual research tool used.

5. ACEs Primer Video https://vimeo.com/139998006

6. Many Other Types of Trauma
New Research is Examining:
Bullying
Homelessness
Growing Up in Foster Care
Extreme Illness or Injury
Historical Trauma
Community Violence

7. National Survey of Children’s Health
Telephone survey
Tracks parent report of their
children’s ACEs (does not
include child maltreatment
or neglect)
2011/12 data

8. Arizona Children
Ethnic minority children have disproportionately higher share of 6+ ACEs
Estimated 69,213 have ACEs

9. Arizona Children, 0 – 17 (2011/2012 National Survey of Children’s Health)
No ACEs - 42 %
One ACE - 26 %
Two + ACEs - 31 %
(Natl. average: 22 %)

10. Arizona Children ages 12 – 17 (2011/2012 National Survey of Children’s Health)
44% have experienced two or more ACEs
(Natl. average 30%)

11. ACEs in AZ Kids
Estimated AZ kids with 5 or more ACEs

12. AZ Kids with 5+ ACES Would Fill University of Phoenix Stadium

13. Or, Equal Population of Flagstaff

14. Presence of Emotional, Behavioral or Developmental Needs

15. AZ Children Overweight or Obese

16. Missed 11 or More Days of School

17. Repeated 1 or More Grades

18. 2016 Arizona Youth Survey http://www. azcjc. gov/ACJC
8th, 10th & 12th Graders
All Counties
Over 57,000 Responses
249 Schools

19. 2016 AZ Youth Survey http://www. azcjc. gov/ACJC
Adults Insulted You – 53%
Parents Separated or Divorced – 47%
Alcoholic – 25%
Incarceration - 23%
Adults Who Fought – 23%
Drug User – 17%

20. ACEs in AZ Adults (BRFSS) 2014
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

21. AZ ACEs by County

22. Impact of Stress on Children
Flight, fight or freeze response
Short attention span
Struggle learning; fall behind in school
Respond to world as
constant danger
Distrustful of adults
Unable to develop healthy peer relationships
Feel failure, despair

23. ACEs in the Classroom
Greatest single predictor for health, attendance and behavior
Second strongest predictor, (after special education status), for academic failure

24. “Dropouts Cost AZ $7.6 Billion” The Arizona Republic, June 26, 2014
AZ Dept. of Education: 22 percent of Arizona 9th graders will not finish high school
By 2018, more than 60 percent of jobs in AZ will require some post-secondary education

25. ACEs are a Pipeline to Prison
Childhood and Adult Trauma Experiences of Incarcerated Persons and Their Relationship to Adult Behavioral Health Problems and Treatment) Intl. Journal of Environ Res Public Health May; 9(5): 1908–1926. Published online 2012 May 18. Healing Invisible Wounds: Why Investing in Trauma-Informed Care for Children Makes Sense.

26. Children exposed to 5+ significant adversities in first 3 years face a 76% likelihood of having one or more delays in development.

27. ACEs in Foster Care
More than half of kids reported for child abuse experienced 4 or more ACEs by time of contact with child welfare
More than 90% referred to child welfare have experienced multiple ACEs
(Nat’l Survey Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), No. 20: Adverse Child Experiences in NSCAW, 2013)

28. Children who have experienced 4 or more ACEs are three times as likely to take ADHD medication when compared with children with less than four ACEs
(Ruiz "How Childhood Trauma Could Be Mistaken for ADHD", The Atlantic, 7 July 2014)

29. Trauma in the Classroom
Classrooms are Designed for Regulated Kids
1/3 of Kids have Trauma
Can’t Teach Kids in Dysregulation
Kids Can’t Reflect on Their Behaviors Until They are Regulated
“Universal Precautions”

30. Federal Class Action Lawsuit
Peter. P. vs. Compton Unified School District
Alleges District failed to recognize and address trauma-induced disabilities
Therefore denied legal right to equal education

31. Compassionate Schools Movement http://traumasensitiveschools
School-wide Policies & Practices
Classroom Strategies
Links to Mental Health Services
Family Partnerships
Community Links

32. Moving Towards Healing
TRAUMA ORGANIZED TRAUMA INFORMED HEALING ORGANIZATION
Reactive Shared Language Reflective
Reliving/Retelling Foundational Collaborative
Avoiding/Numbing Understanding of Trauma Culture of Learning
Fragmentation Understanding of the Making Meaning out of Nature and Impact of Trauma the Past
Growth and Prevention Oriented
From TRAUMA INDUCING to TRAUMA REDUCING

33. ACEs Connection Network http://www.acesconnection.com/

34. Free Online Learning Modules
Trauma-Sensitive Schools:
Understanding the Impact of
Trauma on Students:
Supporting Trauma-Exposed Students:

35. Changing Minds Campaign https://changingmindsnow.org/
Inspire
Celebrate
Comfort
Listen
Collaborate

36. Promoting Resilience Tipping the Scale

37. Resilience

38. At Least 1 Stable, Caring and Supportive Relationship

39. Building Sense of Mastery over Their Life Circumstances

40. Strong Executive Function and Self-Regulation Skills

41. Affirming Faith or Cultural Traditions

42. 6 Things Research Shows Effective Dealing with Effects of Stress
Sleep
Exercise
Nutrition
Mindfulness
Mental Health Interventions
Healthy Relationships

43. Creating Trauma Sensitive Arizona Schools

44. If She Only Knew (3 min. 43 seconds)