November 2020

By Elizabeth Newcomb, University of Southern California, November 9, 2020 A new three-nation project will examine how social, economic, psychological, environmental and behavioral circumstances in childhood influence gene expression and affect health and aging later in life. The cooperation brings together large longitudinal studies in the US, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This unique international collaboration will examine social, economic, health and epigenetic data from the...

By Joe Gramigna, Healio News, November 9, 2020 Childhood abuse and neglect appear to have significant effects on brain structure and function, as well as on the epigenome, according to a presenter at the NEI Max virtual conference. “Early life adversity can increase mortality and morbidity in adulthood,” Deborah A. York, MSN, PMHNP-BC, APRN, CCRA , psychiatric nurse practitioner at Mountain Mind Private Practice in Colorado, said in a presentation. “Early life adversity may include physical...

Please feel free to share any resources or events that you would like to see in the next eNote by replying to this one or emailing Charlotte Eure at ceure@grscan.com . Read about six trauma-informed strategies for helping students succeed amidst COVID-19 on The Journal and delve in deeper with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network's Trauma-Informed School Strategies during COVID-19 . HEARD captures the inspiring stories of five people who grew up in housing projects and are now giving...

Learning about ACEs science changed David Magallon’s life in a profound way — and now he’s made it part of his mission to share that knowledge with other parents who really need it. Since 2017, Magallon has served as a court referral programs manager at the Child Parent Institute (CPI) in Santa Rosa, California. The non-profit agency offers child therapy, parent education, and other resources for families throughout Sonoma County. Magallon works with families in a probation program mandated...

From Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, November 2020 In this presentation, Center Director Jack P. Shonkoff joins a panel of experts to discuss how early childhood experiences can affect lifelong health, including not only the young brain, but other developing physiological systems. [ Please click here to view the webinar .]

Most people are not neuroscientists. But nearly everyone has a basic understanding of how to build a house: a sturdy foundation as the basis for an intact, enduring structure. That’s why Building Strong Brains Tennessee (BSBTN), Tennessee’s ACEs response, uses the metaphor of brain architecture to help people understand why the experiences and interactions of early childhood matter so much, and how they set the stage for adult physical and mental health. Building Strong Brains, a...

Doctors and nurses at a hospital in Sacramento, California were uncomfortable interacting with a 17-year-old black youth who had suffered a gunshot wound and was paralyzed from the neck down. DeAngelo Mack “They didn’t want to tend to him, because they thought he was disrespectful,” said DeAngelo Mack, who has advocated on behalf of hundreds of black and brown youth who have been victims of violence. “My work was to explain to them, of course he’s frustrated. He’s a 17-year-old kid who will...

My heart broke for my children when I first read the 1998 CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, mailed to me by a mentor in 2000. I wept about my high score (9) and then shoved the report in a drawer, resolving to not pass on the pain and to minimize my children’s ACEs. That report scared the hell out of me. Years later, I plowed through the report again in earnest, and learned that most of my quirky behaviors: inability to focus, trouble with relationships, earlier...

A very generous donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, has given ACEs Connection a $50,000 matching grant! If ACEs Connection’s members contribute $50,000 between now and the end of this year, our donor will match it with $50,000. "Changing the world — our culture of how we deal with people —is a huge task and takes a very large village, “ the anonymous donor says of the challenge grant. “ACEs Connection is a superb and effective leader of our village." This is our first concerted effort to...

Lately, a lot of people who grew up with childhood trauma are going “no contact” with their families and loved ones. I hear people talking about it with relief and sometimes a sense of accomplishment. For many people, the abuse was egregious and may be ongoing; in these cases, walking away for good may be necessary and courageous. For others, going no-contact is an emergency form of self-protection that, over time, may not need to be permanent. So I want to share with you ten tips to protect...

Another request for our parenting tips bumper stickers and another apology because we haven't the funds to print them. Every request and apology is a lost opportunity to share parenting wisdom and prevent the aces associated with unsupportive and harmful parenting. David, What a wonderful mission and organization you’re running! The bumper stickers are such a creative way to normalize parenting conversations. As founder of ---------------------------- CSA I work with families AFTER child...

Let's move forward with empathy, self-compassion, and connection. Like most people I know, sleep eluded me for much of last week leading up to this historic election. The good news is that I have a meditation practice and mantra to which I always come back. Much of Western meditation practice focuses on mindfulness – -noticing thoughts and, hopefully, quieting the mind by focusing on the breath. My 11th book, Meditation Station , deals directly with this concept. Our breath is always with...