Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
(ACE's)
What are ACEs?
ACEs are adverse childhood experiences that harm children's developing brains and lead to changing how they respond to stress and damaging their immune systems so profoundly that the effects show up decades later.
ACEs cause much of our instances of chronic disease, most mental illness, and are at the root of most violence.
The impact of early trauma is so profound because it occurs during those critical periods when the brain is most rapidly developing and organizing. Because the experiences of early life determine the organization and function of the mature brain, going through adverse events in childhood can have a tremendously negative impact on early brain development, including social and emotional development. Christine R. Ludy-Dobson and Bruce Perry
