Andre has at least three ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) . . . at the age of seven. Chronic, inter-generational trauma.
Sometimes Andre’s bi-polar uncle rages and screams threats and beats Andre’s mother. He’s abused her since childhood. She drinks a little too much to try to forget. Other times when his uncle is depressed, he scares Andre to tears by trying to kill himself. Meanwhile, Andre’s father has been “away” 4 years.
Trauma during childhood, or Developmental Trauma can be defined as a response of overwhelming, helplessness or fear to a painful or shocking event, or to chronic, toxic stress, including ACEs (adverse childhood experiences).
ACEs include physical, emotional and sexual abuse, physical and emotional neglect, a missing parent (due to separation, divorce, incarceration, death), witnessing household substance abuse, violence, or mental illness and more.
Trauma during development is especially heinous.
Some adults normalize the pain and fear of the injured child, thinking “they’ll get over it.” It’s actually the opposite. Young children have fewer coping mechanisms and their immature brains are still developing. The impacts of trauma are actually greater on the still-developing brain.
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ACE-impacted kids are more common than seasonal allergy sufferers.
Two out of 3 children have at least one ACE. Experts have been calling it an ‘epidemic’, a ‘crisis‘, for many years. Public health research points to early death by as much as 20 years.
The CDC found that about one-fourth of the middle class, mostly white, college educated, working folks with medical insurance had THREE or more ACEs even in beautiful suburban San Diego!
Three or more ACEs is significant because it correlates with doubled risk of depression, adolescent pregnancy, lung disease, and liver disease. It triples the risk of alcoholism and STDs. There is a 5X increase in attempted suicide.
Trauma-Informed adults CAN make a difference.
Get Informed. Click on the links below.
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Informed already? Then, please “share” the blogpost. Help grow awareness of this secret epidemic destroying childhoods.
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Center for Disease Control-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study HERE
How prevalent are ACEs ? CLICK HERE
Calculate your own ACE score CLICK HERE
ACE Study Overview from the Producer of Paper Tigers film (five minute Vimeo video) CLICK HERE
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Look for other parts of this series “Nowhere to Hide” on LucidWitness.com for more information.
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“Nowhere to Hide” series overview
click HERE
“Nowhere to Hide” series links
Each separate, individual article in the series focuses on a single component of the workings of developmental trauma, via real life examples in short “60 second” soundbites, akin to “Public Service Announcements” (PSAs). They are designed for sharing in social media networks to grow public awareness.
Trigger warning:
The children’s experiences in the vignettes are unvarnished. Their traumatic responses may trigger painful memories.
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“PSA” Links for social media
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Nowhere to Hide: Maria; Fight, flight or freeze
Nowhere to Hide: Andre’s Fear; What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?
Nowhere to Hide: Jamar’s Hyper-arousal
Nowhere to Hide: Roberto’s Dissociation
Nowhere to Hide: Danny’s Memory
Nowhere to Hide: Ashley’s “Normal” Education? Part 1
Nowhere to Hide: Ashley’s “Normal” Education? Part 2
More to come
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“Like” us at “Trauma-Informed Pedagogy” on Facebook
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Please share a PSA link to help grow public awareness of the impacts of developmental trauma. There are so many of us who’ve never heard of the overpowering life-long impacts.
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“Peek Inside a Classroom” series overview
The second original series, “Peek Inside a Classroom”, provides much more detailed looks inside my classroom, primarily focused on specific students: Jasmine, Danny and José.
Other children are captured in broader looks at education reform concepts: “Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm?” and “Effective Education Reform”, co-authored with Sandra L. Bloom, M. D..
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“Peek Inside a Classroom” series links
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Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
Peek Inside a Classroom: Danny
Peek Inside a Classroom: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm?
Peek Inside a Classroom: Effective Education Reform (with Sandra Bloom, M.D.)
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“Click for Resources…” series overview:
“Click for Resources” posts are the theory and research behind the narrative posts in “Nowhere to Hide” and “Peek Inside a Classroom”.
Each post in “Click for Resources “ is divided in three parts:
1) general press articles,
2) Research Journals or academic papers
3) social media, often with video.
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“Click for Resources” series links:
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1. Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Studies: CLICK HERE
2. Impacts of Childhood Trauma: Overview CLICK HERE
Click for Resources: Social Media on Impacts of Childhood Trauma
Click for Resources: Journal Articles on Impacts of Developmental Trauma
3. Trauma-Informed Schools CLICK HERE
4. Trauma-Informed Social Services CLICK HERE
5. Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice CLICK HERE
6. Trauma-Informed Public Policy CLICK HERE
7. Childhood Trauma Training and Tools CLICK HERE
8. Book and Publication selections CLICK HERE
9. #800 phone numbers CLICK HERE
Developmental trauma, still “the elephant in the [class] room” for many adults.
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“Like” us at “Trauma-Informed Pedagogy” on Facebook
LucidWitness.com 
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.I to am a child of trauma.School was a nightmare for me!
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Thank you for sharing Donna. I am sorry that school was so difficult. They say that one caring adult, any adult, in a child’s life could make all the difference.
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