Raising Disabled Children in an Unequal America [peggyomara.com]

Thanks. Other parts of the book discuss ACEs more specifically, but even more so, how little we actually do to help and support families going through all these difficulties. We are still struggling as a society to put processes and services in place to help.

Thank you, Karen for posting this. It is sort of the elephant in the room in terms of behavior that may not be the result of ACEs, but may increase these kids' risk for ACEs - at home, at school and in the community. As a parent - you never know if what you are doing is "right". There is no roadmap - you have to rely on love, attachment, attunement, and a deep sense of "what is right".  It is not until way down the line - after extensive investments in love, time, and money - do the outcomes (positive or negative) become clear. In our family, the ACEs our kids experienced at school through ongoing, well-documented bullying was so severe that even today it is hard to put into words. However, our kids are now adults who can recall these experiences with vivid detail (color of the chairs, how the room smelled, who was there, how others responded - etc). Thank you again, Karen, for bringing this elephant in the room - into our conversations.  Karen

This really resonates:

Managing systemic requirements, and their fallouts, required a tremendous amount of time and energy. A labyrinth of bureaucracies confronted the family, agencies and programs with their own twists, turns, obstructions, and dead-ends. Each required a suffocating amount of research, applications, coordination, and, all too often, battles. Nathaniel said,

“It’s constant. It’s been one challenge after another. You need to do the research on doctors, schools, and other services, become the experts, and try not to make an enormous mistake at the same time.”