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Trauma in childhood echoes through generations, according to new research that could have implications for thousands of migrant children recently separated from parents at the U.S. border. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and published today in Pediatrics, finds that traumatic events in childhood increase the risk of mental health and behavioral problems not just for that person but also for their children. “Early-life experiences --...

Most people who struggle with weight and food have probably suspected that trauma in the past plays a role. In this new video, Anna Runkle (the Crappy Childhood Fairy) interviews Mary Giuliani, who explains what we now know about childhood adversity, food and obesity. She shares how she lost 160 pounds (and has kept it off for 15 years), and teaches ways to calm emotions (and the brain) and face the triggers that drive overeating in the first place (READ MORE AND WATCH THE VIDEO HERE).

Brad Owen manages about three dozen chapels across the United States, all serving one mission: provide a place of worship and faith — for truck drivers. But three months ago, Owen, the vice president of operations for Truckstop Ministries Inc. , got a call from one of his chaplains in Amarillo, Texas; there were police everywhere and the chaplain was being questioned. “They were asking him what he was doing there and why he was there,” Owen tells NationSwell. “After he showed his credentials...

Because of recent legislation passed in February and March of this year, the federal government will be providing significant new funding to state and local governments in 2018 and future years through an array of programs serving low-income children and parents. These new funding streams, and the legislations’ increased focus on improving outcomes using evidence-based approaches, create a remarkable opportunity for path-breaking governors and local leaders to transform how government...

Emotional development in schools is integral to the way that students develop academically, and it also sets them up to be responsible, caring citizens once they reach adulthood. Not only that, but having the ability to empathize with others has been shown to reduce aggression in problem children and reduce incidences of bullying in school. It’s a notion that educator and author Mary Gordon is intimately familiar with. As the founder and executive director of Roots of Empathy , she’s devoted...

Hallelujah! It’s about time someone wrote a book that informs readers about the unadulterated truth of how we treat kids in America. It isn’t flattering, and worse, the future doesn’t look promising despite reform movements peppered across our nation. In his book “ The Evolution of the Juvenile Court: Race, Politics, and the Criminalizing of Juvenile Justice ,” Professor Barry C. Feld employs a historical approach coupled with a prolific blending of artistic and technical prose to convey...

When Donald Trump won the presidency, the flailing private prison industry immediately started to rebound . Then, a month after he took office as president, the Justice Department reversed the previous administration’s decision to phase out the use of private prisons. In just the four months after Election Day 2016, private prison stocks jumped up almost 100 percent . With the recent migrant crisis at the border, they have jumped again —making it clear that harsher immigration policy is a...

Like with fingerprints, no two people have the same brain anatomy, a study by researchers of the University of Zurich has shown. This uniqueness is the result of a combination of genetic factors and individual life experiences. The fingerprint is unique in every individual: As no two fingerprints are the same, they have become the go-to method of identity verification for police, immigration authorities and smartphone producers alike. But what about the central switchboard inside our heads?

Many people who attempt suicide end up in an emergency room for immediate treatment. But few of those suicide survivors get the follow-up care they need at a time when they are especially likely to attempt suicide again . Now, a study shows that a simple intervention conducted by staff in emergency departments can reduce the risk of future attempts. The intervention involves creating a safety plan for each patient and following up with phone calls after discharge. "It reduced the odds of...

America is facing an epidemic of opioid misuse, and our young children are among its victims. Parental substance abuse is a significant Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) that impedes children’s future citizen readiness—their ability to grow up healthy, well-educated and prepared for productive lives. The epidemic has seriously compromised the strength of our nation: threatening public safety, impacting the workforce, tearing families apart, and likely decreasing the number of youth eligible...

“I agree with everything you said, but what’s the ask?” This was the first question at our Santa Fe community forum on our book, Anna, Age Eight , focused on preventing childhood trauma. The enthusiastic attendee added, “What exactly do you want me to do?” My first thought was, “Don’t you know?!?” My second thought was, “Maybe he, and others, really don’t know that it’s all about holding elected officials accountable.” It became clear that if we wanted our forum attendees to engage with our...

Here is a link to a piece on how the small things teachers and coaches do (often unintentionally) affect us negatively for decades. Solutions and suggestions offered. We need to ponder more the message we get too from children's games. Their affect, like the affect of teachers and coaches and other educators, cannot be ignored. https://medium.com/@KarenGrossEdu/sadly-we-remember-the-bad-stuff-teachers-said-and-did-when-we-were-young-94d20e8d5b97