What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?

ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17). The more ACEs you have, the greater the risk for chronic disease, mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence. People have an ACE score of 0 to 10. Each type of trauma counts as one, no matter how many times it occurs. There is a powerful, persistent correlation between the more ACEs experienced and the greater the chance of poor outcomes later in life, including dramatically increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, substance abuse, smoking, poor academic achievement, time out of work, and early death.

ACEs can have a tremendous impact on lifelong health and opportunity. They cause adult onset of chronic disease, such as cancer and heart disease, as well as mental illness, violence, and being a victim of violence. ACEs are responsible for a big chunk of workplace absenteeism, and for costs in health care, emergency response, mental health and criminal justice.

It doesn’t matter which four ACEs a person has; the harmful consequences are the same. The brain cannot distinguish one type of toxic stress from another; it’s all toxic stress, with the same impact.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; ACEs Too High; Cleveland Clinic; Center for the Developing Child, Harvard University